can i claim my 19 yr old son who goes to college-he works for little ceasars pizza and is paying taxes. i support him in everything-can i claim him on my taxes?

[DoninGA]

If he is a full time student and does not provide for over one-half of his own support you may be able to claim him as a dependent under the Qualifying Child rules if he meets all the requirements.

To be a Qualifying Child -

1. The child must be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, or a descendant of any of them.
2. The child must be (a) under age 19 at the end of the year, (b) under age 24 at the end of the year and a full-time student or (c) any age and permanently and totally disabled.
3. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year. Temporary absences while away at college are considered living with you.
4. The child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the year.
5. If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child.
6. The child must be a U.S. citizen or U.S., Canada or Mexico resident for some portion of the year.
7. The child must be younger than you unless disabled.

[MindyB]

It depends. ‌It sounds like your son meets the definition of a qualifying child, if he is a full-time student and lives with you or at school. One of the requirements for a 19 year old is that they must be a full time student.  According to the IRS, one qualifies for full-time student status if they were enrolled full-time for a period of at least 5 months.  It is important to remember that for purposes of the Child Tax Credit, he does not qualify as he is over 17, but he is a qualifying relative so you may be eligible for the Credit for Other Dependents.

For more information on dependents, please see Rules for Claiming Dependents on Taxes.