Form 8615 is asking for my parents information I don't know my parents. What do I put? I know they are alive (I'm pretty sure) but I haven't had contact with them in 15 years (est.).

[JeffreyR77]

Form 8615 is used when parents are reporting a child's income on their tax return.  it's likely you have accessed or entered something on this form in error.  You can go to the left side of the TurboTax screen in the dark margin under Tax Tools, and select Tools , and Delete a Form and Select Form 8615 from the list.  

Go back to the Income and Expenses section and review to ensure all your entries are correct before continuing on in your return. 

[angilliland]

Can I delete the form? It was added when I entered my 1098-T (I'm 20, working full time and a full time student). 

[ColeenD3]

Unfortunately, the IRS does not address not being in touch with the parents. If you meet the qualifications, you must file the return. However, two of the bolded rules below may be a way out for you. 

Form 8615 must be filed for any child who meets all of the following conditions.

1. The child had more than $2,200 of unearned income.

2. The child is required to file a tax return.

3. The child either:

   1. Was under age 18 at the end of 2020,

   2. Was age 18 at the end of 2020 and didn’t have earned income that was more than half of the child's support, or

   3. Was a full-time student at least age 19 and under age 24 at the end of 2020 and didn’t have earned income that was more than half of the child's support.

   (Earned income is defined later. Support is defined below.)

4. At least one of the child's parents was alive at the end of 2020.

5. The child doesn’t file a joint return for 2020.

[angilliland]

I made est. 26,000 from working. I received financial aid for est. 5,000 and paid est. 2,000 to the school for tuition. Is it possible I filled out something else wrong that's making me fill out this form. 

[DawnC]

How did you answer the question ''Did you support yourself in 2020?'' ?    IRS regulations require special treatment for some taxpayers under age 24, see above.   The full question reads Did you provide over half of your own support with earned income during 2020?

Support is generally defined as what you spend on a person's food, lodging, clothing, education (including the GI bill), medical and dental care (including insurance and supplementary Medicare premiums), recreation, transportation and similar necessities.

Earned Income is salaries, wages, professional fees, and other amounts you earn for work actually performed. This includes tips or any taxable scholarship/fellowship grants that were reported on Form W-2.

[katyphm]

I have a similar situation (was studying full time for first half of 2021 and then started working full-time for second half of 2021). However, my parents are not US citizens or live in the US, they do not pay taxes or have SSN.  How should I address this? Should I delete the form altogether?

[KrisD15]

For clarification:

Are you eligible for an education credit? If not, are you able to "deselect" that you were a student? If so, will this eliminate Form 8615 without affecting your refund or tax due?