Yes, you absolutely can. However, you will want to coordinate your efforts with your parents or guardians. Full-time students under age 24 are still eligible to be claimed as dependents on their parents'/guardians' tax returns, if they meet all the requirements listed below. There are frequently good financial reasons for them to do so, especially if the student has relatively little taxable income and would not be able to use the valuable educational credits that are available, nor would the parents receive the qualifying child credit, which can be worth as much as $2,000.
Qualifying child
- They are related to you;
- They aren't claimed as a
dependent by someone else;
- They are a U.S. citizen,
resident alien, U.S. national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint
return with their spouse or are filing a joint return only to claim a
refund of withheld income tax or estimated tax paid;
- They are under the age of 19,
or 24 if a full-time student;
- No age limit for permanently
and totally disabled children.
- They live with you for more
than half the year (temporary absences from your home, while living at
school, still count as time living with you); and
- They didn't provide more than
half of their own support for the year.
A new requirement this year is that each qualifying
child dependent must have a Social Security Number, issued before the due date
of your tax return (including extensions) to be claimed for the Child Tax
Credit.
