Can I still claim my 18 year old son if he made 8,000 at his part time job? Or should he claim himself?

[xmasbaby0]

You can still claim your 18 year old as a dependent.

MY DEPENDENT HAD A JOB

If your dependent has a W-2 for his after-school job, summer job, etc. you do not include the information on your own return. You can still claim your child as a dependent on your own return.  He/she can file his own return for a refund of some of his withheld wages (he won’t get back anything for Social Security or Medicare), but MUST indicate on it that he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.  (Supervise this closely or prepare it for him!)

If your dependent’s earnings were over $400 and were reported on a 1099Misc or 1099NEC then he must file a return and pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.

You might also want to use free software from the IRS Free File versions:

https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

[MinhT1]

If your son has income in 2024, you don't report your son's income on your tax return.

You can still claim him as a dependent if he didn't provide more than half of his own support for the year and he was under 19 at the end of 2024.

If it has to be reported, at all, it goes on his own return. If your dependent son is under age 19, he must file a tax return for 2024 if he had any of the following:

1. Total income (wages, salaries, taxable scholarship etc.) of more than $14,600 in 2024.
2. Unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains) of more than $1,300.
3. Gross income (earned plus unearned) exceeding the larger of $1,300 or his earned income (up to $14,600) plus $400.
4. Other self-employment income over $400, including box 1 of a 1099-NEC

If your dependent son files his own return, he has to indicate in the My Info section of TurboTax that he can be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer.

Even if he had less, he can file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He can't get back Social Security or Medicare tax withholding.