Recovery Tax Credit for 2021 Tax Filing

[jschinken]

Hello,

First of all, I have three kids that are 18, 15, and 12.  I did not receive any of the Economic Stimulus payments before, and while I was doing my taxes for 2021, I realized that by not claiming any or all of them as dependents and filing kid(s)' return(s) separately, each of them is eligible to receive the recovery tax credit of $1,400 based on Turbo tax calculations.  I would like to ask the expert(s) if this is a legitimate and legal thing to do and something that is advisable as far as tax filing and potential audit perspective. 

BTW, I did not receive the stimulus payments because of the income bracket I belong, and not having them as dependents on my tax return does not affect my tax filing results.  

Thank you for your response.

[ThomasM125]

They shouldn't be allowed their own stimulus check if they can be claimed as a dependent on your tax return. It doesn't matter whether or not you claim them as a dependent, if they qualify as your dependent, then they would only qualify for a stimulus check based on the information on your tax return. They will be asked that question and it will appear on their tax return. So if the box on the form 1040 that says Someone can claim you as a dependent is checked, they will not be allowed the stimulus check.