I’m head of household with 19 year old college student who has her own income and taxes to file. Will it lower her return if I claim her as a dependent ? There’s a series of questions about

[HelenC12 · Accepted solution]

Yes, if you claim your 19 year old college student as a dependent, her refund amount will probably be lower versus if she files on her own.

However, generally, it's better for your college student to be claimed as your dependent on your income tax return, as long as she qualifies. You, as the parent, may be eligible for higher education credits and other credits that may not be available to her. If she is your only dependent, she also qualifies you for the Head of Household filing status.

If she is your dependent, she should file her own tax return. Make sure she selects that she is being claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return during the TurboTax interview.

If she doesn't qualify as your dependent, she would file her own tax return.

To compare filing one way versus another, just create additional accounts in TurboTax for each scenario. It's free and you don't pay until you file. See How do I start another return in TurboTax Online?