What you'll get. If you qualify, you may only claim expenses up to: $3,000 for 1 person. $6,000 for 2 or more people.
The Child Tax Credit can reduce your taxes by up to $2,000 per qualifying child aged 16 or younger. If you do not owe taxes, up to $1,700 of the Child Tax Credit may be refundable through the Additional Child Tax Credit for 2024.
Limited standard deduction for dependents
(For the 2023 tax year, the limit for dependents claimed on someone else's tax return was $1,250 or the dependent's earned income plus $400. )
The total expenses that you may use to calculate the credit may not be more than $3,000 (for one qualifying individual) or $6,000 (for two or more qualifying individuals).
For 2023, the initial amount of the CTC is $2,000 for each qualifying child.
3. 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.
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.
For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $13,850 for 2023, up $900, and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $20,800 for tax year 2023, up $1,400 from the amount for tax year 2022.
Key Takeaways. The Child Tax Credit is up to $2,000. The Credit for Other Dependents is worth up to $500. The IRS defines a dependent as a qualifying child (under age 19 or under 24 if a full-time student, or any age if permanently and totally disabled) or a qualifying relative.
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.
Each dependent that qualifies for the Child Tax Credit can reduce your taxes by up to $2,000. Qualifying children over 16 and other qualifying relatives can reduce your taxes by $500 each. A qualifying child must live with you for more than half the year.
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.
For 2024 (taxes filed in 2025), the child tax credit is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying dependent child. The refundable portion, also known as the additional child tax credit, is worth up to $1,700.
What you'll get. The most you can claim is $592.
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.
If you earned income, but your parents still qualify to claim you as a dependent, all you have to do is select the option for “I can be claimed on someone else's return”. Parents will qualify for educational credits that students potentially cannot get on their own.
Once your child reaches the age of 18, they are considered an adult in the eyes of the IRS. However, if they are still a full-time student, you can continue to claim them as a dependent until they turn 24. Once they are no longer a full-time student, you must stop claiming them.
Dependents – If you can be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer, your standard deduction for 2024 is limited to the greater of: (1) $1,300, or (2) your earned income plus $450 (but the total can't be more than the basic standard deduction for your filing status).
Under 19. If the child is under 19 years old at the end of the tax year, they typically qualify as your dependent. Under 24 and a full-time student. If the child is a full-time student and less than 24 years old at the end of the tax year, they can still be claimed as a dependent.
What's the penalty for filing as head of household while married? There's no tax penalty for filing as head of household while you're married. But you could be subject to a failure-to-pay penalty of any amount that results from using the other filing status.
You must stop claiming your college student as a dependent once they are 24 years old or older, or if they start filing their own taxes jointly with a spouse.
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.