turbotax icon
cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Close icon
Do you have a TurboTax Online account?

We'll help you get started or pick up where you left off.

grad school dependent

Our dependent 22 yr old grad school student works 2 part time jobs. we have been claiming her and the school deductions right along.

How long can we claim her as long as she is living at home

and How do we know if her return would be better if we didn't claim her? As of right now she's still low income under $20,000. by us claiming her is that reducing anything she would be entitled to other than stimulus?

 

x
Do you have an Intuit account?

Do you have an Intuit account?

You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.

5 Replies

grad school dependent

If she is a full time student and under the age of 24 then her income is not a factor in determining her eligibility to be claimed as a dependent under the Qualifying Child rules.  However, it can be a factor to determine if she is providing over one-half of her own support.  See this IRS website for support calculations - https://apps.irs.gov/app/vita/content/globalmedia/teacher/worksheet_for_determining_support_4012.pdf

 

Being claimed as a dependent means she is not eligible for a stimulus payment.

The other rule is that if she CAN be claimed as a dependent, even if not being claimed, she must indicate on her tax return that she can be claimed as a dependent.

 

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.

grad school dependent

she doesn't pay us anything. in fact she has been paying down her loans. are we able to claim those payments on our taxes even though loans are in her name? we have been claiming payments made directly to school and supplies, books. she lives at home. no on campus living.

grad school dependent

is it a better advantage for us to claim her than allowing her to be independent?

grad school dependent


@Chattyme wrote:

she doesn't pay us anything. in fact she has been paying down her loans. are we able to claim those payments on our taxes even though loans are in her name? we have been claiming payments made directly to school and supplies, books. she lives at home. no on campus living.


Then she is not providing over one-half of her own support if only paying down loans.  You should be able to claim her as your dependent on the 2020 tax return.

grad school dependent


@Chattyme wrote:

is it a better advantage for us to claim her than allowing her to be independent?


Yes, the advantage is yours.

Unlock tailored help options in your account.

message box icon

Get more help

Ask questions and learn more about your taxes and finances.

Post your Question