Claiming cildren in college

[evelynm]

Hello Joe:

If you can provide further details - are you asking about claiming your college age children as dependents?  TurboTax can help you take advantage of tax breaks to ease the financial burden of sending kids to college, including tax credits, tuition deductions, tax-free savings and more.   

Here is a great link to get started:   https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/college-and-education/sending-kids-to-college/L0I7clLFg

Can I claim my college age child on my taxes?

To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you and either younger than 19 years old or be a "student" younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year per the IRS.

[JoeP78]

my son,He paid for his housing, food, tuition, 

[JoeP78]

he lived in a different state the whole time in college. he was 20years old. 

[evelynm]

You have met the relationship test - however; there are three more requirements:  

• Do they meet the age requirement? Your child must be under age 19 or, if a full-time student, under age 24. There's no age limit if your child is permanently and totally disabled.
• Do they live with you? Your child must live with you for more than half the year, but several exceptions apply.   You most likely qualify for this exception:  Living at college is considered a temporary absence so you are still counted as living at home.  
• Do you financially support them? Your child may have a job, but they cannot provide more than half of their own support.

[JoeP78]

Once my son moved out of state to attend college, he provided 100% of his own support. Neither myself nor his mother have provided any support since he went to college.  My ex-wife is telling me to claim him on my taxes for 2022 because he used our information for his FAFSA.  I am trying to find out if I really can claim him on my taxes.  He filed his own taxes for himself.

[evelynm]

Joe - 

Here is a link about the FAFSA - be sure to understand the implications if any:  https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-planning-2/fafsa-101-your-guide-to-financial-aid-19196/

Based on your information about your son you did not meet the requirements to claim him - specifically the support test.   

Also, if you son filed his taxes and did not indicate he was being claimed that may trigger a tax notice.