How do I claim my 16 year old son turned 17 halfway through the year

You can claim your son and get the $500 credit for other dependents but you lost the child tax credit when he turned 17 in 2023.  

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900923-what-is-the-child-tax-credit

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/additional-child-tax-credit/L6xFeMFEf_US_en_US?uid=lqnuygah

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/does-my-childdependent-qualify-for-the-child-tax-credit-or-the-credit-for-other-dependents

 

Your son would need to be 16 or younger on 12-31-23 in order for him to qualify for the Child Tax Credit.  You can, however , still claim him as a dependent.

Simple answer: for tax purposes, he was 17 for the whole year.  You do not get a partial child tax credit. 

 

If that doesn't seem fair, look at it this way: when he was born, in 2006, you got the full child tax credit, even though he was only around  half the year, So, you got 17 years of the child tax credit, the same as everybody else.