Filing if I can be claimed by my parent but don't

[Anonymous]

I am 17 years old. I had wages of $11k in 2022. Technically, my parent can claim me still but doesn't. Do I still check the box "Someone can claim you as a dependent"? If so, does this affect how much I might get back if I'm owed a refund? Also, if I made under the standard deduction of $12,950, does this mean I will get a refund for the full amount of taxes withheld from me?

[AmyC]

You want to double check that a parent isn't claiming you since you are worth a $500 tax credit. Once sure that no is claiming you, then you can file on your own with no worries of being claimed. You should still  check the box. 

You are correct that you will get the entire amount back since you are below the filing threshold.

[Edited 2/10/2023 |8:13 AM PST]

[rjs]

Yes, you still have to check the box. The question is whether someone can claim you as a dependent, not whether they do claim you. You are a dependent of your parent, whether or not you are claimed on your parent's tax return.

Being a dependent could affect the amount of your refund, but if $11,000 of wages on a W-2 is your only income, it will not affect your refund in your particular case. Since you are a dependent, your standard deduction will not be $12,950. It will be $11,400 (your earned income plus $400). But that still leaves you with no taxable income, so you will get a full refund of all the federal income tax that was withheld from your pay (box 2 on your W-2). You do not get a refund of the Social Security and Medicare taxes (boxes 4 and 6).

This also means that your parent might as well claim you, because it will reduce your parent's tax, or increase your parent's refund, and will not reduce your refund.