If I claim my 16 year old can he still file?How does that work? He made around 6000 this year.

[ChrisTonya1980]

I guess what I am asking is how do I go about doing my taxes this year since my 16 year old worked this year? Can I claim him if so does he still need to file?

[DoninGA]

You can still claim your son as a dependent under the Qualifying Child rules if he meets all the requirements.  His income is not relevant under the rules.  

If his income is from wages reported on a W-2 he can file a return to get a refund of the taxes withheld.  Income of $6,300 or more reported on a W-2, he must file a tax return.  If his income is $400 or more from self-employment and reported on a Form 1099-MISC or cash then he must file a tax return to report his self-employment income and expenses.  Assuming that you will be claiming him as a dependent, then when your son files his tax return we would indicate on the return that he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return.

To be a Qualifying Child -

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 the year, (b) under age 24 at the end of the year and a full-time student or (c) any age and permanently and totally disabled.

3. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year. Temporary absences while away at college are considered living with you.

4. The child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the year.

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 must be a U.S. citizen or U.S., Canada or Mexico resident for some portion of the year.

7. The child must be younger than you unless disabled.

[Hal_Al]

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, a relationship test and a residence test.

[dr-lcrtaxid]

Do I enter my 16 year old son W-2 on my tax return or does he enter his own? I claim him as my dependent on my return. 

Also, I worked in New Mexico, however on block 15 the state is CO. and on the other W-2 block 15 Employers Id no has,

TOTAL STATE?

[Hal_Al]

You do not report his/her income on your return. If it has to be reported, at all, it goes on his own return. If your dependent child is under age 19 (or under 24 if a full time student), he or she must file a tax return for 2022 if he had any of the following:

1.          Total income (wages, salaries, taxable scholarship etc.) of more than $12,950 (2022).
2.          Unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains, unemployment, taxable portion of 529 distribution) of more than $1150 (2022)
3.          Unearned income over $400 (2022) and gross income of more than $1150 (2022)
4.          Household employee income (e.g. baby sitting, lawn mowing) over $2300 ($12,950 if under age 18)
5.          Other self employment income over $432, including money on a form 1099-NEC

Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding.

In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section.

You may want to post a new topic question on the NM/CO issue to get more eyes on it.  Include where you live and whether there was withholding in box 17 on either W-2 and why you got these two W-2s

[Rcphilli]

Claim your son like you always have done in the past.   Your son can file his own taxes if withholding were made on his income and at same time claim himself as a dependent on someone else's (yours) return still.  Turbotax should be able to walk you through the steps for both filings.