Dependent claimed himself already, but it doesn't benefit him

[taxpayer1234567]

Our adult dependent son claimed himself on his taxes he submitted yesterday.  It does not benefit him, but he does qualify as a dependent and it would benefit us to claim him.  He is willing to amend his return.  We haven't submitted ours yet. Can we still efile?

[DoninGA]

If his tax return has been accepted by the IRS then you can only print and mail your tax return, it cannot be e-filed since the IRS will reject your return.

On the mailed tax return you can claim him as your dependent, the IRS will process your tax return as received.

[xmasbaby0]

Sorry--no.   Your son has blocked you from e-filing this year with his SSN on his tax return.  You can claim him but  you will have to file by mail.  Waiting for him to amend will not help you.  If you e-file with his SSN on your return, your e-file will be rejected.

MY DEPENDENT SAID HE COULD NOT BE CLAIMED

Your dependent filed a return without saying he could be claimed on your return and your return was rejected?  AFTER his return has been fully processed and he has received his refund, he has to file an amended return that says he can be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s return.  Amended returns must be prepared on a Form 1040X.  It takes the IRS at least four  to six months to process an amended return.

 Meanwhile, since your e-filed return has been rejected, you now have to print and mail it in to the IRS.  You will not be able to e-file. You do not have to wait for your dependent’s amended return to be processed.  Remember that when you mail a return, you need to include copies of your W-2, etc. with your return.  Use a mailing service like certified mail that will track it so you will know that the IRS received it.

For your dependent:

See this TurboTax support FAQ for amending a tax return - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/amend-change-correct-return-a...

When they amend —The dependent needs to go to MY INFO, click their name, and go to the question that asked if they can be claimed as someone else’s dependent.  The answer needs to be YES.

[TomK2023 · Accepted solution]

No, you will need to mail your return.  Your son will still have to amend his return to make the change.  He should wait until his return is fully processed before he amends it (i.e., he receives a refund or he pays any balance due).  

[taxpayer1234567]

The status of his return is showing as accepted but not fully processed.  He has no refund or balance due. 
But he will have a very small balance due once he amends it.  
In this case, shouldn't he amend it now so that he can pay that balance before the deadline? 

[Vanessa A · Accepted solution]

You can amend before his return is processed, however, it is generally recommended that you wait due to the IRS catching any errors on his return prior to processing it.

The other thing you can do, is to You can pay directly via the IRS website the amount that he will owe after the amendment.  This will allow you to have his taxes paid in full before the15th, but also give the original return time to process before amending.