Dependent Question

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
March 13, 2024
1 reply
6 views

My 21 year old daughter was a full-time college student the spring of 2023. She graduated in May and began working full-time in June. She is living at home and is not financially independent. My daughter plans to file her own tax return. Do my husband and I claim her as a dependent on our 2023 tax return?

DaveF1006

Level 15

Since she graduated in the Spring of 2023, she cannot be your qualifying child because she did not attend college for five months out of the year. She may qualify as a qualifying relative under the following conditions. Your daughter must meet all these conditions to qualify as a 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 US citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
They made less than $4,700 in 2023.
You provided more than half of their financial support.

The one condition that may disqualify you is the income amount of $4700. If your daughter made more than that, this would disqualify her from being your dependent.

So the answer is, yes you can claim her if all the conditions are met. She can still file her own tax return to receive back withholding taxes from her W2. There is a question in the personal info section that asks if she can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's return and she would check a box in the interview that address this question.

If she wants to file on her own and claim her own dependency, let it be so she can establish her sense of independence and be proud of her accomplishment. You can pride yourself on a job well done.

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"

TexasReaderAuthor

Level 2

Just to clarify, would attending college from mid-January to mid-May not count as five months? This was a question on my daughter's tax return as qualifying as a student or not. I ask the question because your answer indicates she wasn't in college for five months.

We are definitely proud of her! She is an oncology nurse and doing great things.

Thank you for your help.

DaveF1006

Level 15

Yes, she would qualify as your qualifying child. I based my original answer on the fact that she may have not attended school for the full month of May but some of my colleagues told me that if she attends just one day in May, that counts as a full month. Again let me offer my congratulations to you and your daughter!!

**Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post. **Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"