You can claim the Child Tax Credit for each qualifying child who has a Social Security number that is valid for employment in the United States. To be a qualifying child for the 2024 tax year, your dependent generally must: Be under 17 at the end of the tax year.
Taxpayers can claim a child tax credit (CTC) of up to $2,000 for each child under age 17 who is a citizen.
The child must be: (a) under age 19 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), (b) under age 24 at the end of the year, a full- time student, and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or (c) any age if permanently and totally disabled. 2.
Good Reasons
If your income disqualifies you from claiming these credits, your child's income probably doesn't disqualify him or her. Therefore, your child may be able to report payment of education expenses for tax purposes and then claim one of the credits – but only if you don't claim him or her as a dependent.
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.
If the child lived with each parent for the same amount of time, the IRS will treat the child as the qualifying child of the parent who had the higher adjusted gross income (AGI) for 2023.
Whether a dependent has to file a return generally depends on the amount of the dependent's earned and unearned income and whether the dependent is married, is age 65 or older, or is blind. A dependent may have to file a return even if his or her income is less than the amount that would normally require a return.
If the child lived with each parent for an equal number of nights, as is often the case of ex-spouses with joint custody, the custodial parent is the parent with the higher Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Parents can also release their dependent claim to the other parent by completing Form 8332.
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.
How do I get a 10,000 tax refund? You could end up with a $10,000 tax refund if you've paid significantly more tax payments than you owe at the end of the year.
Changes to Certain Benefits
The five dependency tests – relationship, gross income, support, joint return and citizenship/residency – continue to apply to a qualifying relative. A child who is not a qualifying child might still be a dependent as a qualifying relative.
The state Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) provides a dollar amount credit per eligible tax return. Families must have at least one qualifying child under 6 years old at the end of the tax year, must file a California state tax return, and meet the requirements of the CalEITC.
Because you are technically filing your taxes under penalty of perjury, everything you claim has to be true, or you can be charged with penalty of perjury. Failing to be honest by claiming a false dependent could result in 3 years of prison and fines up to $250,000.
Claiming Children on Tax Forms
Only one parent can claim the children as dependents on their taxes if the parents are unmarried. Either unmarried parent is entitled to the exemption so long as they support the child.
If the noncustodial parent claims your child without permission. When the noncustodial parent claims the exemption on their taxes and they don't attach the required Form 8332 signed by the custodial parent, their tax filing doesn't comply with IRS rules. The IRS may enforce its rules.
By listing a dependent on the return, you are informing the IRS that your dependent has passed the four qualifying child tests and you are the custodial parent.
You can't claim the EIC unless your investment income is $11,600 or less. If your investment income is more than $11,600, you can't claim the credit. Use Worksheet 1 in this chapter to figure your investment income.
If a dependent is claimed as a qualifying child on another person's tax return, they generally do not need to file their own tax return, even if their income exceeds the filing thresholds.
It's up to you and your spouse. You might decide that the parent who gets the biggest tax benefit should claim the child. If you can't agree, however, the dependency claim goes to your spouse because your son lived with her for more of the year than he lived with you.
You can claim a child who works as a dependent if they still meet the requirements to be a qualifying child – including the age, relationship, residency, and support tests.
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.
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.
You're eligible for the full credit amount if your modified adjusted gross income is $400,000 or below (married filing jointly) or $200,000 or below (all other filers). If your MAGI exceeds the limits, the credit is reduced by $50 for each $1,000 of income above the threshold until it phases out completely.