I heard from a friend that parents with children 18 who are fulltime students can claim those students as dependents to get $500 refund. How can I do that ?

[jvenkatrao]

My tax return says my 18 year old son is declared as dependent. Is that it or can I still get additional $500 ? My friend claimed her 22 year old daughter using 1040-x and got $500 refund. I

[macuser_22 · Accepted solution]

If you are asking about the $500 stimulus then the child must be under the age if 17 (no older than 16) at the end of 2020.

There are two types of dependents,  Qualifying child (up to $2000 refund) and Qualifying relative ($500 refund).

The requirements are very different.  Age 18 and full-time student is probably a Qualifying Child.

---Tests To Be a Qualifying Child---
(Must pass ALL of these tests)

NOTE: If a child passes all of these tests he must say “yes” on his/her own tax return (if he/she files one) that another taxpayer CAN claim him/her as a dependent even if they DO NOT claim him/her)

1. The child must be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother,stepsister, or a descendant of any of them.

2. The child must be (a) under age 19 at the end of 2019, (b) under age 24 at the end of 2019 and a full-time student* for any part of 5 months of 2019, or (c) any age if permanently and totally disabled and must be younger than you (or your spouse if filing jointly).

3. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year (There are exceptions for temporary absences such as school, illness, business, vacation, military service).

4. The child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the year.
See Worksheet 3-1. Worksheet for Determining Support
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17#en_US_2019_publink1000171012

5. If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child.

6. The child is not filing a joint return.

7. The child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico

*A full-time student is a student who is enrolled for the number of hours or courses the school considers to be full-time attendance during some part of each of any 5 calendar months of the year.

See IRS Publication 17 for more information.

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17

*****************

---Tests to be a Qualifying Relative (& Unrelated Persons)---
(Must meet ALL of these tests to be a dependent)

1. The person cannot be your qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer.

2. The person either must be related to you, or must live with you all year (all 365 days - There are exceptions for temporary absences such as school, illness, business, vacation, military service) as a member of your household.

3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,200 (tax-exempt income, such as certain social security benefits, is not included in gross income)

4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support** for the year.

5. The person is not filing a joint return.

In any case, the person must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico

The above is simplified; see IRS Publication 501 for full information.
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501#en_US_2018_publink1000220939

** Worksheet for determining support
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501#en_US_2019_publink1000226268

[jvenkatrao]

Thanks for the response. I am not asking about the economic stimulus.

What form should I fill out to get the $500 for my 18 year old son for 2019 ? Is it 1040-x ? Can it be done online from Turbo Tax ?

Thanks again !

[VolvoGirl]

You said your return shows him as a dependent?  Then you already got it.  Check 1040 line 13a for the Child Credit or Dependent credit.  You may have gotten more than 500.  

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

If you are expecting a $500 refund for claiming your 18 year old as a dependent, you misunderstood.  If you claim a dependent who is over the age of 16 you can get the $500 credit for other dependents--it is not a refund.  It reduces the amount of tax you owe.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4499708-what-is-the-500-credit-for-other-dependents-family-tax-cre...

[Opus 17]

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@jvenkatrao wrote:

Thanks for the response. I am not asking about the economic stimulus.

What form should I fill out to get the $500 for my 18 year old son for 2019 ? Is it 1040-x ? Can it be done online from Turbo Tax ?

Thanks again !

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If your child qualifies as a dependent and you did not list them as a dependent on your tax return, you need to file an amended return.

If your child qualifies as a dependent and you did list them already, then the $500 credit was already applied and either reduced your credit or increased your refund.  Check your 2019 form 1040 line 13 for the dollar amount and the list of dependents on the first page to make sure they are listed.  Turbotax applies the credit automatically if you qualify, you didn't need to do anything extra.