Under 21 doing taxes

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
February 5, 2025
3 replies
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My daughter filed to be independent at 18 yrs of age and moved out of the house for her senior year mid November 2023. She lived outside the home for 4 months and came home March 2024. She went to a tech school 2023-2024 and received a 1099. Should she do her own taxes, or would she still be considered a dependent?

Ask the Experts - MetLife VI - Feb 2025

ThomasM125

Level 15

There are several tests to determine if she qualifies as your dependent, but the main ones are that you would have to have furnished over 1/2 of her support and she would have to have lived with you for over half the year, or be away at college. If she is a full-time student, you can consider her for being a normal dependent, but otherwise you could only consider her for qualifying as an "other dependent" or qualifying relative. To be a qualifying relative, the individual would have to earn less than $5,050, but that doesn't apply if she is a full-time student until she is 24 years old.

You can learn more from this IRS article.

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mommatigress05Author

Level 2

Thank you for taking the time to answer. I have a follow up question. How much would a dependent need to earn for them it to be necessary to file taxes? Age 16 & 19

DawnC

Level 15

Even if you're a dependent, you'll generally need to file your own 2024 tax return if:

Your earned income (money you made by working) exceeds $14,600
Your unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains, etc.) exceeds $1,300
Your business or self-employment net income (gross minus expenses) is at least $400
Your gross income (earned plus unearned) exceeds the larger of $1,300 or your earned income (up to $14,200) plus $400

But even if your income falls below these filing requirements, you'll want to file your own tax return to get a refund of any federal or state taxes withheld from your paychecks.

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