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New Member
posted May 31, 2019 9:54:36 PM

My child (22 years old) is a full time student. TurboTax (deluxe version) doesn't ask about her school or income, just says that I can't claim her. IRS rules say I can???

She was married in July of last year. Turbo Tax (Deluxe version) doesn't give me the ability to state student status, just says that she doesn't qualify as a dependent. It doesn't matter if I say that she is married or not, she doesn't qualify. By everything I see, I should be able to claim her as long as she and her husband do not file married/joint... why can't I claim her?

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1 Best answer
Level 15
May 31, 2019 9:54:38 PM

You've answered a question wrong, probably the one about how long she lived with you. However, if she did not live with you for more than half the year, you cannot claim her as a "Qualifying Child" dependent, so the full time student question won't be asked, but the income question will, because she may still be a qualifying relative dependent.

You may have to delete the dependent and re-enter her.

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. Only a QC qualifies the taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.

2 Replies
Level 15
May 31, 2019 9:54:38 PM

You've answered a question wrong, probably the one about how long she lived with you. However, if she did not live with you for more than half the year, you cannot claim her as a "Qualifying Child" dependent, so the full time student question won't be asked, but the income question will, because she may still be a qualifying relative dependent.

You may have to delete the dependent and re-enter her.

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. Only a QC qualifies the taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.

New Member
May 31, 2019 9:54:41 PM

Her information was imported from last years return using Turbotax Deluxe. I deleted her and manually entered her information again. This time, it asked me if she was a full time student and I received the dependent deduction. Thanks for your help.