A person cannot be claimed as a dependent unless that person is a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico, for some part of the year.
You cannot prevent your parents from claiming you. Anything on your parents' return is between them and the IRS.
Age requirement: Your child must be under age 19 or, if a full-time student, under age 24. There is no age limit if your child is permanently and totally disabled.
A dependent must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien or national or a resident of Canada or Mexico. A person can't be claimed as a dependent on more than one tax return, with rare exceptions. A dependent can't claim a dependent on their own tax return. You can't claim your spouse as a dependent if you file jointly.
Claiming dependents: Qualifying child tests and requirements
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.
You can't claim a married person who files a joint return as a dependent unless that joint return is only to claim a refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid. You can't claim a person as a dependent unless that person is a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.1.
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.
Generally, the IRS requires that the child is under the age of 19 (or under 24 if a full-time student), lives with you for more than half the year, and does not provide more than half of their own financial support.
There is no age limit for how long you can claim adult children or other relatives as dependents, but they must meet other IRS requirements to continue to qualify. Additionally, once they are over 18 and no longer a student, they can only qualify as an "other dependent," not a qualifying child.
Request an identity protection PIN: If you live in an eligible state or are a confirmed tax identity theft victim, you can receive a six-digit identity protection PIN from the IRS. This PIN adds an extra level of security when you or someone else tries to file a tax return in your name.
After the IRS decides the issue, the IRS will charge (or, “assess”) any additional taxes, penalties, and interest on the person who incorrectly claimed the dependent. You can appeal the decision if you don't agree with the outcome, or you can take your case to U.S. Tax Court.
Your parents can't claim you as a dependent if you rightfully claim yourself (by taking your personal exemption), or if someone else claims you as a dependent (another parent if your parents are divorced, or another person).
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.
The person can't be a qualifying child of another person. The person must be either related to you or must have lived with you all year as a member of your household. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,400. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.
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.
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.
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.
Claiming fewer allowances on Form w-4 will result in more tax being withheld from your paychecks and less take-home pay. This might result in a larger tax refund. On the other hand, claiming too many allowances could mean that not enough tax is withheld during the year.
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.
Your significant other earned less than $5,050 for 2024.
According to the IRS dependent rules, your boyfriend or girlfriend must have earned less than $5,050 for the 2024 tax year if you want to claim them as a dependent.
But did you know you can claim adult dependents as well? In general, an adult that you can claim as a dependent on your tax return is either a full-time student under the age of 24, a person who is permanently and totally disabled, or a parent that you support and/or care for.
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.
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.