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Can I take the standard deduction if my parents make too much money to claim me as a dependent on their tax return? I'm a college student and supported by them.

 
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2 Replies

Can I take the standard deduction if my parents make too much money to claim me as a dependent on their tax return? I'm a college student and supported by them.

You are confused by the standard deduction and by the concept of being claimed as someone else's dependent.   The rule is if someone else CAN claim you then on your own tax return you must say that you can be claimed as someone else's dependent----even if they will not be claiming you.   

 

Your parents do not "make too much money" to claim you----they just might make too much to get the education credit --which is not the same thing.   

 

If you are a full-time college student under the age of 24, you can still be claimed as a qualifying child unless you personally paid for over half your own support.  

 

 

Here is the criteria used by parents (and others) to determine if they can claim a dependent:

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

 

 

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2023 tax return 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 $4,700 in 2023.
  • You provided more than half of their financial support.

 

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

Can I take the standard deduction if my parents make too much money to claim me as a dependent on their tax return? I'm a college student and supported by them.

Several points to cover.

 

1. Your parents can never make too much to claim you as a dependent.  They might make too much to claim college tuition credits, but they could still claim you as a dependent.

 

2. Whether you can be claimed as a dependent is based on age, residency and support as covered in detail in the other answer.  If you can be claimed as a dependent, you must check the box that says "I can be claimed as a dependent" even if the person who could claim you, won't claim you for other reasons.

 

3. For college students, there is a second question "Will the person who could claim you, actually claim you this year?"  This question is for the situation where your parents could claim you, but decide not to because they make too much money to get a tuition credit.  If you answer "yes, I can be claimed" and also "no, the person who could claim me won't claim me" then you may be eligible for tuition credits in your own name.  How much credit you get depends on your income and other factors.

 

4. Under the current tax code, everyone is entitled to a standard deduction ($13,850 for 2023) regardless of whether or not they can be or are claimed as a dependent.  If you are using Turbotax, the program will do this automatically.  

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