Is my Daughter considered a Dependent Child

[David_W_Long]

My Daughter graduated High School in 2023 and took a gap year before entering college in Fall 2024. During the first half of 2024 she lived with relatives in another state before coming back to Texas to start college in August. Can i still claim her as a dependent?

[RobertB4444]

You can.  If she is your daughter and you are providing more than half of her support and she lived with you more than half the year (visiting with relatives would be considered a 'temporary absence') then she is definitely your dependent.

@David_W_Long 

[Hal_Al]

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and Other ("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, student status, a relationship test and residence test.

A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:

1. He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled
2. He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support. Scholarships are excluded from the support calculation
3. He lived with the parent (including temporary absences such as away at school) for more than half the year