Can filing independent on taxes still make 22 year old eligible for parent healthcare as dependent

[lcolantuoni14]

Hi my son is filing as independent. He was on New Jersey family care and is getting dropped along with his father. It looks like his income may be too high to qualify on his own due to a scholarship and a summer job. My question is if I have prior employer coverage that he can get on does he have to be my dependent on taxes to be considered a dependent eligible to be on my healthcare plan? Or does he have to say that he can be claimed as a dependent or can he be independent and still be able to get the healthcare insurance as my dependent. I would appreciate any help as it’s the last minute and I didn’t know he was getting dropped from insurance until yesterday and now I don’t know whether he should file as independent. He does meet the criteria it’s kind of iffy and can go either way but the plan was to do independent figuring that if he applies for New Jersey family care he hast to be independent but if it doesn’t work out then does he need to be dependent on taxes to be a dependent on my healthcare through prior employer? Thanks I hope somebody can help I’m running out of time

[xmasbaby0]

You are asking questions about specific healthcare plans---of which we know nothing.   We cannot advise you as to the rules of your healthcare plans.   You have to get that information from the insurance providers.

What we can tell you about are the rules for claiming a dependent on a tax return.  You say your son is 22 and was a student.   If he was a full-time student under the age of 24 at the end of 2021 then he can very likely be claimed as a qualifying child dependent.

IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/who-can-i-claim-as-a-dependent

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3113432-who-can-i-claim-as-my-dependent  

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2021 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:

Qualifying child

• They're related to you.
• They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
• No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
• They lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
• They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.

Qualifying relative

• They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
• They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They lived with you the entire year (exceptions apply).
• They made less than $4,300 in 2021.
• You provided more than half of their financial support.

When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them. There may be other tax benefits you can get when you claim a dependent.

Related Information:

• What does "financially support another person" mean?
• What is a "qualifying person" for Head of Household?
• Does a dependent for 2021 have to live with me?
• Do I qualify for Head of Household in 2021?
• Can I claim myself or my spouse as a dependent?

[xmasbaby0]

And....for the  possible "dependent":

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/dependents/help/when-do-i-have-to-answer-yes-to-being-claimed-as-a...