Should a 19yo college student with only $1500 earned file a 1040 ez while we (married filing jointly) still claim her as a dependent as we did last year when she no job?

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

Simple answer: Yes .

You still get to claim him/her as a dependent, but he may not need to file a return. Either way, you do not report his/her income on your return. If it has to be reported at all, it goes on his own return. If your dependent child is under age 19 (or under 24 if a full time student), he or she must file a tax return for 2016 if he had any of the following:

1.         Total income (wages, salaries, taxable scholarship etc.) of more than $6,300 (2016).

2.         Unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains) of more than $1050 (2016).

3.         Unearned income over $350 and gross income of more than $1050

4.         Household employee income (e.g. baby sitting, lawn mowing) over $2000 ($6300 if under age 18)

5.         Other self employment income over $400, including box 7 of a 1099-MISC

Even if he had less, he is allowed to file if he needs to get back income tax withholding. He cannot get back social security or Medicare tax withholding.

 He doesn’t get his own $4050 exemption (deduction), when he files. In TurboTax, he indicates that somebody else can claim him as a dependent, at the personal information section.