it is usually more beneficial for the parent with the higher income to claim the children. However, in case that parent's income is so high to prevent him/her from obtaining the Earned Income Credit or the Child Tax Credit, then the other parent should claim the children.
A. It's up to you. Since he qualifies as a qualifying child for each of you, either parent may claim the child as a dependent. If you can't decide, the dependency claim goes to whichever of you reports the higher Adjusted Gross Income on your separate tax return.
it is usually more beneficial for the parent with the higher income to claim the children. However, in case that parent's income is so high to prevent him/her from obtaining the Earned Income Credit or the Child Tax Credit, then the other parent should claim the children.
The taxpayers who provide multiple support for a dependent decide among themselves who will claim the dependent for the year. Volunteer tax preparers do not decide. In most cases, the child is the qualifying child of the custodial parent.
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.
Under these rules, the parent who has physical custody of the child for the greater part of the year – defined as more than 50% of the nights – typically has the right to claim the child as a dependent for tax purposes.
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.
A custodial parent is the parent the child lives with the most nights within a tax year (in general the parent with 183 nights or more).
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.
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.
This will usually be the person the child lives with most of the time. If you can't reach an agreement, you can both make a claim and let HMRC decide who will get the Child Benefit. There are complicated rules about who has priority but HMRC will usually give Child Benefit to the person the child lives with the most.
You qualify for the full amount of the 2024 Child Tax Credit for each qualifying child if you meet all eligibility factors and your annual income is not more than $200,000 ($400,000 if filing a joint return). Parents and guardians with higher incomes may be eligible to claim a partial credit.
If a child lived with each parent the same amount of time during the year, the IRS allows the parent with the higher adjusted gross income (AGI) to claim the child.
It's important to note that if two or more taxpayers claim the same child, the IRS will use the “tiebreaker rule” to figure out who is eligible. You can always speak about your specific situation with your Jackson Hewitt Tax Pro when questions arise.
Child tax credit 2024
For 2024 (taxes filed in 2025), the child tax credit is worth up to $2,000 per qualifying dependent child.
A parent earning in excess of $400,000 annually will likely receive no benefit to claiming a child on taxes. Therefore, assuming the other parent earns less, the high earning parent should make sure the other parent claims the children as dependents.
Yes, a noncustodial parent may be eligible to claim the child tax credit for his or her child as long as he or she is allowed to claim the child as a dependent and otherwise qualifies to claim the child tax credit.
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.
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.
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.
Your relative can't have a gross income of more than $5,050 in 2024 and be claimed by you as a dependent. This threshold increases to $5,200 for 2025. Certain income is excluded from this requirement such as all or part of Social Security benefits.
You can claim a child as a dependent if he or she is your qualifying child. Generally, the child is the qualifying child of the custodial parent. The custodial parent is the parent with whom the child lived for the longer period of time during the year.
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.
The growing body of research and expert opinions support the benefits of shared parenting overall. Embracing 50/50 custody as a standard practice can promote equality, cooperation, and stability for children and families.