The important point from a benefits perspective is that it is only the beneficial ownership which matters. In the context of a child savings account, this means that the funds are not part of the claimant's capital because they are not within the claimant's beneficial ownership.
If your child's interest, dividends, and other unearned income total more than $2,600, it may be subject to a specific tax on the unearned income of certain children. See the Instructions for Form 8615, Tax for Certain Children Who Have Unearned Income for more information.
If your child's unearned income is between $1,300 and $14,600, they may need to file their own return, but in certain situations, this income can be included on your return. If your child's unearned income is $14,600 or more, they need to file their own return.
To claim a child's income on a parent's tax return, the child needs to be considered a qualifying child dependent of the parent. Parents can use IRS Form 8814 to elect to report their child's income on their tax return instead of the child filing their own return.
For qualifying dependents who are not a qualifying child (called “qualifying relatives” in tax law), the person's gross income for the 2023 tax year must be below $4,700 (for 2023). For qualifying relatives, they must get more than half of their financial support from you.
A qualifying child can earn an unlimited amount of money and still be claimed as a dependent, so long as the child doesn't also provide more than half of their own support.
For the 2025 tax year, the first $1,350 of a child's unearned income qualifies for the standard deduction, the next $1,350 is taxed at the child's income tax rate, and unearned income above $2,700 is taxed at the parent's marginal income tax rate. For 2024, these values were $1,300, $1,300, and $2,600, respectively.
To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you or your spouse if filing jointly and either younger than 19 years old or be a "student" younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year.
Current tax law does not allow you to take a capital gains tax break based on your age. In the past, the IRS granted people over the age of 55 a tax exemption for home sales, though this exclusion was eliminated in 1997 in favor of the expanded exemption for all homeowners.
What is the gift tax exclusion? The basic gift tax exclusion or exemption is the amount you can give each year to one person and not worry about being taxed. The gift tax exclusion limit for 2023 was $17,000, and for 2024 it's $18,000.
You can save in your child's name – but be aware of the tax implications. "Using your children tax-efficiently" sounds slightly callous. But if you are better off, so are your kids. Saving money in a child's name means you often save at a higher rate of interest.
Key Takeaways. Any interest earned on a savings account is taxable income. Your bank will send you a 1099-INT form for any interest earned over $10. You must report any interest earned on a savings account, even if it's less than $10.
The kiddie tax
Unlike 529 plans and ESAs, custodial accounts are subject to the so-called "kiddie tax." This tax rule applies to unearned income (i.e., investment income) up to a certain threshold. Over that threshold, the child will pay taxes at the parent's tax rate. To learn more, see IRS Publication 929.
Children can save up to £9,000 for the tax year 2024/25 in their Junior ISA, and none of the interest is taxed.
If your savings are: under £6,000, your benefit claim is not affected by your savings. between £6,000 and £16,000, you lose some of your benefit payment.
The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year.2 3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,300.3 Gross income means all income the person received in the form of money, goods, property and services, that isn't exempt from tax.
Cons of Claiming a College Student as a Dependent
If your child has earned income and you claim them as a dependent, they lose the opportunity to claim their own personal exemption (when applicable in future years) and certain tax credits that could be more advantageous for them.
Can I claim my child as a dependent if they file a tax return? Your child can still qualify as a dependent if they file their own taxes. They will need to indicate that someone else claims them as a dependent on their return.
If you have a dependent who's earning income, good news — you can still claim them as a dependent so long as other dependent rules still apply. Your dependent's earned income doesn't go on your return. Filing tax returns for children is easy in that respect.
At a glance:
The gift giver pays any gift tax owed, not the receiver. You don't have to report gifts to the IRS unless the amount exceeds $18,000 in 2024 (increasing to $19,000 in 2025).
Your dependent children must file a tax return when they earn above a certain amount of income. Dependent children with earned income in excess of $14,600 must file an income tax return (for the 2024 tax year). Dependent children with unearned income of more than $1,300 must also file a return.
Can they claim an exemption for me as a dependent or qualifying child on their tax return? Share: It's possible, but once you're over age 24, you can no longer be claimed as a qualifying child. The only exception to this is if you're permanently and totally disabled.
Even if your student files their own tax return for part-time wages, as long as they are under 24 years old and enrolled in school full-time, you may still be able to claim them as a qualifying child.
Even if someone else, like a parent, claims you on their own tax return, you may still be required to file your own return.