Child with PT Job

[fonteyoung]

My 16 year old has a W2 for his PT job... do I need to file his taxes separately, or can I do that with ours?  

[DawnC]

Separately.   You can still claim him on your tax return, but make sure you (or him if you are feeling brave) marks the box that says ''Someone else can claim me''.    You can add your child's interest and dividend income to your return, but never w-2 income.   

[DoninGA]

You cannot enter on your tax return any earned income for a dependent child.  They can file their own tax return and indicate on the return that they can be claimed as a dependent.

If the child earned less than $13,850 from wages on the W-2 they do not have to file.  However, if taxes were withheld from the wages they should file to get a refund.