Why do I have to fill out a Form 8615

[reetugupta]

can you please share the fix here? I'm in similar situation and just scratching my head. Can't figure out why do I need to file 8615 form.

[Anonymous]

Click through the screens under the "Child's Income (Under Age 24)" section (Personal income > less common income > Child's income) until you get to a page that says "Other Earned Income" with text that says "The total for (name) for all earned income from wages, business income, and farming, is $XXX. Enter any other earned income that was not included in this amount." In that box, I entered the income from schedule k-1 self-employment earnings that I had already entered elsewhere in the software. You would enter any EARNED income in this box not already accounted for in the $XXXX number the software displays on this screen, despite entering the earned income elsewhere on the return. 

[Anonymous]

I had the same issue and spent all morning on the phone on hold and looked up so many questions. Try this and see if it works. 

1. go back to your information

2. double-check all the questions

my issue was that one of the questions asked if I supported myself all through 2021. I selected no. 

GO BACK AND SELECT "YES". THAT WILL REMOVE THE FORM 8615 AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO E-FILE. 

[reetugupta]

but my daughter didn't support herself fully.

Also your method did remove the Form 8615 but still did not give any education credit - American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit. 

Do you know how can i fix that?

[AliciaP1]

You have to be reporting tuition paid on a 1098-T as well.  See Lifetime Learning Credit for more information.

@reetugupta

[keilytinoco]

They are asking me to fill out the form 8615 but my parents are not even U.S citizens, and they don't have social security no. What should I do?

[DMarkM1]

You mention your parents are not US citizens and do not have social security numbers.  They may still have a US tax filing requirement and need an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number which you would input on your tax return for the form 8615.  Here is a link to help determine your parents' US tax filing requirements.  Here is another for resident or nonresident status.

Here is a link to use to help determine if you can be a qualifying dependent.  If you cannot be a qualifying dependent and your parents have no income connected to the US then in the "My Info" section you would answer "Yes" to the question that you provided more than 1/2 of your support. 

[donkey16]

I continue to be asked to fill out form 8615 line 6, my parent's income - but I do NOT have unearned income of over $2,200 to qualify for this requirement.  How can I get rid of this form/requirement?  It just keeps popping up as one more detail to review before I can complete.

[JohnW152]

You may have unearned income that you're not aware of, requiring you to file Form 8615, Tax for Certain Children Who Have Unearned Income. 

If you have a Form 1098-T with an amount in Box 5, Scholarships or grants, for example, and the Box 5 amount is greater than the amount in Box 1, Payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses, that difference would be considered unearned income. 

According to Who Must File in the Instructions for Form 8615:

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

1. The child had more than $2,300 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 2022,
   2. Was age 18 at the end of 2022 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 2022 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 2022.
5. The child doesn’t file a joint return for 2022.

You've most likely entered something in the TurboTax program that's triggering this requirement.  If this situation doesn't describe your scenario, please post back.

@donkey16