My job didn't take out federal taxes can I still file and add my stepson he's 18 with no job?

[DoninGA]

Whether or not federal taxes were withheld from your wages, or you were self-employed, has no bearing on who you can claim as a dependent.

You can claim your step-son as a dependent under the Qualifying Child rules if he meets all the requirements under the rules.

To be a Qualifying Child -

1. The child must be your son, daughter, stepchild, foster child, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, or a descendant of any of them.
2. The child must be (a) under age 19 at the end of the year, (b) under age 24 at the end of the year and a full-time student or (c) any age and permanently and totally disabled.
3. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year. Temporary absences while away at college are considered living with you.
4. The child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the year.
5. If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child.
6. The child must be a U.S. citizen or U.S., Canada or Mexico resident for some portion of the year.
7. The child must be younger than you unless disabled.

[xmasbaby0]

You can file a tax return if you have taxable income.    You do not mention whether you will have a W-2 or a 1099NEC.    Are you a W-2 employee or are you a self-employed independent contractor?    If you are self-employed, you will need to pay self - employment tax for Social Security and Medicare, and possibly ordinary income tax.

As for claiming your stepson, if he is a qualified dependent then enter him in MY INFO so that you get the non-refundable $500 credit for other dependents.  He is too old, so you will not get child tax credit.

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2024 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:

Qualifying child

• They're related to you.
• They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
• No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
• They lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
• They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.

Qualifying relative

• They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
• They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They lived with you the entire year (exceptions apply).
• They made less than $5050 in 2024 (not counting Social Security)
• You provided more than half of their financial support.

When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them. There may be other tax benefits you can get when you claim a dependent.

Related Information:

• What does "financially support another person" mean?
• What is a "qualifying person" for Head of Household?

[DoninGA]

Go to this IRS website to see if you are required to file a tax return - https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/do-i-need-to-file-a-tax-return