What Age Can I Claim My Child on Taxes

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Rules for Claiming a Dependent on Your Tax Return

Updated for Tax Twelvemonth 2022 • February 17, 2022 09:57 AM

OVERVIEW

Claiming dependents can help you relieve thousands of dollars on your taxes. Yet many of us are not aware of who in our family may qualify equally our dependent. Review the rules for challenge dependents here for a qualifying child or relative.

For information on the 3rd coronavirus relief package, please visit our "American Rescue Programme: What Does it Hateful for You and a Tertiary Stimulus Bank check" weblog post.

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Cardinal Takeaways

• For tax year 2021, the Child Taxation Credit is upwards to $3,600 or $3,000, depending on the age of your kid. The Credit for Other Dependents is worth up to $500.

•The IRS defines a dependent as a qualifying child nether historic period 19 (or under 24 if a full-time student) or a qualifying relative who makes less than $four,300 a yr (tax yr 2021).

•A qualifying dependent may have a task, but y'all must provide more than half of their annual support.

•Y'all cannot claim a person who claims another dependent on their taxes, files a joint tax return with a spouse (except in some cases defined past the IRS), or is claimed as a dependent on someone else'southward tax return.

Having trouble deciding if your Uncle Jack, Grandma Betty or daughter Joan qualifies equally a dependent? Here's a cheat sheet to quickly assess which of your family members you tin claim on your taxation return.

Why claim someone as a dependent?

If you accept a family, you need to know how the IRS defines "dependents" for income taxation purposes. Why? Because it could save y'all thousands of dollars on your taxes. For tax years prior to 2018, every qualified dependent yous claim, you reduce your taxable income past the exemption amount, equal to $4,050 in 2017. This adds upwardly to substantial savings on your revenue enhancement beak.

For tax years 2022 through 2020, exemptions take been replaced by:

an increased standard deduction
a larger Child Revenue enhancement Credit (now worth upwards to $two,000 per qualifying kid)
a bigger Additional Child Tax Credit (up to $1,400 per qualifying child)
as well every bit a new Credit for Other Dependents, which is worth up to $500 per qualifying dependent (not to exist confused with the Kid and Dependent Care Credit)

For your 2022 taxation return that you will gear up in 2022, the Child Tax Credit is expanded by the American Rescue Plan raising the per-child credit to $3,600 or $iii,000 depending on the age of your child. The credit is besides fully refundable for 2021. To get money into the easily of families faster, the IRS will be sending out advance payments of the 2022 Child Tax Credit offset in July of 2021.For updates and more information, please visit our 2021 Child Tax Credit weblog post.

Dependent rules also apply to other benefits:

such every bit the Earned Income Tax Credit
the Child and Dependent Care Credit for daycare expenses
medical expenses, diverse other itemized deductions and most taxation credits that involve children or family bug

Qualifying for these benefits tin can spell the difference between owing money and receiving a refund.

The basic rules aren't complicated. Merely it can exist difficult to apply those rules to sure family unit situations. That's especially true if you have a son off at college, a cousin who stays with you during the summer, or a daughter with a part-fourth dimension task. The checklist below volition help you lot decide which relatives y'all can claim every bit dependents.

Who qualifies as a dependent?

The IRS rules for qualifying dependents encompass simply about every believable state of affairs, from housekeepers to emancipated offspring.

Fortunately, most of united states of america live simpler lives. The basic rules will cover almost everyone. Here'southward how it all breaks downwards.

There are two types of dependents, each subject to different rules:

A qualifying child
A qualifying relative

For both types of dependents, y'all'll demand to respond the following questions to determine if y'all can merits them.

Are they a citizen or resident? The person must exist a U.Southward. citizen, a U.S. national, U.S. resident, or a resident of Canada or Mexico. Many people wonder if they can merits a foreign-exchange educatee who temporarily lives with them. The reply is mayhap, but only if they meet this requirement.
Are yous the only person claiming them every bit a dependent? You can't claim someone who takes a personal exemption for himself or claims another dependent on his own tax course.
Are they filing a joint return? You cannot claim someone who is married and files a joint tax render. Say you support your married teenaged son: If he files a joint return with his spouse, you can't claim him equally a dependent.

TurboTax Tip: The inclusion of qualified dependents on your tax return is one of the best tax benefits available. It can open up the door to a big number of tax credits and deductions that tin lower your tax bill.

Qualifying child

In addition to the qualifications above, to claim an exemption for your child, you must be able to answer "yes" to all of the following questions.

Are they related to you? The child can be your son, girl, stepchild, eligible foster kid, blood brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, adopted child or an offspring of any of them.
Do they come across the age requirement? Your child must be under historic period nineteen or, if a full-time pupil, under age 24. There is no age limit if your kid is permanently and totally disabled.
Do they live with you? Your kid must alive with you lot for more than than half the year, just several exceptions apply.
Practice you financially support them? Your child may accept a task, but that job cannot provide more than than half of her back up.
Are yous the only person claiming them? This requirement ordinarily applies to children of divorced parents. Hither you lot must use the "necktie breaker rules," which are constitute in IRS Publication 501. These rules institute income, parentage and residency requirements for challenge a child.

Qualifying relative

Many people provide support to their aging parents. Only just because you mail your 78-yr-old mother a cheque every once in a while doesn't mean you tin claim her as a dependent. Here is a checklist for determining whether your mom (or other relative) qualifies.

Do they live with y'all? Your relative must live at your residence all year or be on the list of "relatives who exercise non live with yous" in Publication 501. About thirty types of relatives are on this listing.
Do they make less than $4,300 in 2022 or 2021? Your relative cannot have a gross income of more than $4,300 in 2022 or 2022 and exist claimed past you equally a dependent.
Do you financially back up them? You must provide more than half of your relative'southward full support each yr.
Are you the only person claiming them? This ways you can't claim the aforementioned person twice, in one case every bit a qualifying relative and again as a qualifying child. It also ways you can't claim a relative—say a cousin—if someone else, such as his parents, too merits him.

We effigy it out for you

The inclusion of qualified dependents on your revenue enhancement return is one of the all-time tax benefits bachelor. It can open the door to a big number of taxation credits and deductions that can lower your tax bill. TurboTax will ask yous simple, plain-English language questions about your family unit and will decide for you who qualifies equally a dependent on your tax return, and then you tin exist sure you're getting the biggest refund you deserve.

Ofttimes asked questions

Can I claim my kid every bit a dependent if she has a part-time chore?
Yeah, as long as the child does not provide more than than half of their own support and meets other criteria noted in a higher place.
I support my 67-yr-old sister-in-police. Is she qualified to be counted as a dependent on my tax render?
Aye, considering sisters-in-law meet the relationship requirement and there is no age limit for qualifying relatives. Other guidelines apply.

Remember, with TurboTax, we'll ask you simple questions most your life and help you fill out all the right tax forms. With TurboTax you lot can be confident your taxes are done right, from simple to complex tax returns, no matter what your situation.

All you need to know is yourself

Respond simple questions nearly your life and TurboTax Complimentary Edition volition accept care of the residue.

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The higher up article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does non give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional communication. Earlier taking any action, you should e'er seek the assistance of a professional who knows your detail state of affairs for advice on taxes, your investments, the constabulary, or any other business and professional person matters that bear upon you and/or your business.

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What Age Can I Claim My Child on Taxes