How can I add my child's income? when I'm trying to add it, it only shows my and my husband's names as options.

[xmasbaby0]

MY DEPENDENT HAD A JOB

If your dependent has a W-2 for his after-school job, summer job, etc. you do not include the information on your own return. You can still claim your child as a dependent on your own return.  He/she can file his own return for a refund of some of his withheld wages (he won’t get back anything for Social Security or Medicare), but MUST indicate on it that he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.  (Supervise this closely or prepare it for him!)

If your dependent’s earnings were over $400 and were reported on a 1099Misc or 1099NEC then he must file a return and pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.

You might also want to use free software from the IRS Free File versions:

https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

If your child's ONLY income is interest or dividends from investments and savings in their name, you can include it on your tax return, although I'm not sure where it is located.

However, if your child has any other income (capital gains from investments, or wages, or prizes, or a taxable scholarship, or anything else) then ALL their income must be reported on a tax return in their own name.  This usually does not stop you from claiming them as a dependent, but the child must check the box for "someone else can claim me as a dependent."

[Vanessa A]

What type of income does your child have?  If it is income from a job, you will not add it to your return.  Instead, you (or they) will need to file a return of their own.

If this is for income that is unearned such as investment income, and falls under the kiddie tax rules, and they have NO other earned income, then you can enter it on your return using form 8814 by selecting the following:

1. Income
2. Less common Income
3. Start next to Child's income
4. Walk through the steps to enter your child's unearned income.

* Please note some people may see different a different navigation in the program*

If they have income from a job and unearned income, then they will again need to file their own return.  
 

[snehari]

So you mean to say that if a child had a $100 gain on a UTMA account, they need to file a separate return? That is ludicrous.

[MindyB]

No, $100 of a gain from a UTMA account is not a job.  As @VanessaA mentioned, if they have only investment income, you can enter it on the Form 8814.  Further, the Kiddie Tax does not apply if the child has unearned income of $2,700 or less.

[DoninGA]

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@snehari wrote:

So you mean to say that if a child had a $100 gain on a UTMA account, they need to file a separate return? That is ludicrous.

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Interest from a UTMA account is the child's unearned income.  If all income for the child in 2025 is unearned income and it is $1,350 or less, they do not need to file a tax return.

[andrewjsc]

If the UTMA provides a 1099B and 1099DIV, do those get included in the parents income, or should they not be entered there? And the income is only included on the Child's Income section. 

[MelindaS1]

Yes, you'll want to enter UTMA associated 1099's in the Child's Income section only, so that any applicable Kiddie Tax is calculated correctly - and not based incorrectly on the parents' tax rate at all income levels. 

See TurboTax FAQ - What's the Kiddie Tax?:

The Kiddie Tax applies if your child:

• has unearned income (usually from investments) exceeding $2,700
• is required to file a return
• isn’t filing jointly
• is under age 18 (or under age 24 if a full-time student) as of January 1, 2026

How is Kiddie Tax calculated?

The Kiddie Tax only applies to unearned income in excess of $2,700.

• $0 - $1,350 isn't taxed.
• $1,351 - $2,700 is taxed at the child’s tax rate.
• Over $2,700 is taxed at the parents’ marginal tax rate.

Note that if the child has earned income in excess of the standard deduction (such as wages from part-time employment) they will be required to file their own tax return and include the UTMA investment income (the 1099's) on their own.