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.
Income: If your child earned income, she can still be claimed as a dependent as long as her gross income is below the IRS threshold for qualifying children, which is $4400 for 2023. If her income exceeds this amount, she may need to file her own tax return.
Under the age of 19 and be younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or: Be under age 24, be a full-time student, and be younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or. Be permanently and totally disabled regardless of age.
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.
Election to report child's unearned income on parent's return. A parent of a child under age 19 (or under age 24 if a full-time student) may be able to elect to include the child's interest and dividend income on the parent's return. See Parents' Election To Report Child's Interest and Dividends in Part 2.
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.
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.
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.
As long as your child still relies on you for financial support, their employment status won't affect your ability to claim them as dependent.
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.
A child who has only earned income must file a return only if the total is more than the standard deduction for the year. Your child will have to pay tax on the salary only to the extent it exceeds the standard deduction amount for the year: $14,600 in 2024.
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.
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.
The minimum income requiring a dependent to file a federal tax return. 2024 filing requirements for dependents under 65: Earned income of at least $14,600, or unearned income (like from investments or trusts) of at least $1,300. You must include on your Marketplace application income for any dependent required to file.
If your gross income was $5,050 or more, you usually can't be claimed as a dependent unless you are a qualifying child. For details, see Dependents.
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.
Yes, your parents can claim you as a dependent after the age of 18 indefinitely as long as you meet the qualifying household and financial support requirements.
Reporting Your Child's Income on Your Tax Return
Your child's only income consists of interest, dividends, and capital gains (unearned income). Your child was under age 19 (or under age 24 if a full-time student) at the end of the year. Your child's gross income was less than $13,000 in 2024 ($13,500 in 2025). 1617.
Even if your parents claim you on their taxes, you might still have to file your own return. It all depends on how much you earned during the year. If you made more than the standard deduction amount for dependents, you need to file.
Answer: An unmarried dependent student must file a tax return if his or her earned or unearned income exceeds certain limits. To find these limits, refer to "Dependents" under "Who Must File" in Publication 501, Dependents, Standard Deduction and Filing Information.
If your dependent receives a Form W-2, you cannot report it on your tax return. Your dependent has to report the Form W-2 on their own tax return (if they are required to file). If you need help reporting Form W-2, go to our Form W-2 - Entering in Program FAQ.
YCTC is also available for tax years 2020 and 2021. Eligible taxpayers would need earned income of $1 to $31,950. The credit decreased as earned income reaches certain phase out thresholds. Those with zero earned income or less would not qualify for YCTC.