Is my college son a dependant?

[rleiman]

Greetings.

My son is 22 years old going to UMASS Amherst full time and living in an apartment near the college shared by a roommate. We are paying his half of the rent and utilities and his other expenses to support him. He also comes home for the vacation days and all of the breaks days. He is also not yet working.

Can I declare him as a dependant and for the EIC? Also how many months should I declare he is at home.

Thanks in advance.

[xmasbaby0]

Living away from home for school is considered to be a "temporary absence" so you say he lived with you the whole year.

If he is a full-time student under the age of 24, you can still claim him as a qualified child for the $500 credit for other dependents.  If you are eligible for EIC, you can get EIC for claiming him.

And....you are the one who can claim the education credit if he is your dependent.    Dependents cannot claim education credits.

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/am-i-eligible-to-claim-an-education-credit

[MinhT1]

Yes.

You can claim your son as a dependent (qualifying child) as he is under 24 and a full-time student and didn't provide more than half of his own support. For the EIC, he counts as a qualifying child.

Absences for attending school are considered temporary absences by the IRS. So if your son was living with you before college and intends to return home after college, you can say that he lived with you all year.

Please read this TurboTax Blog for more information.

[rleiman]

Thank you everybody so much for your quick replies and good news!