The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: dixierose on January 16, 2013, 12:26:36 PM
-
I have a 22 year old. Since he is considered a dependent by Obamacare, can I claim him as a dependent on my taxes? He is not in college right now; but he is working.
-
I have a 22 year old. Since he is considered a dependent by Obamacare, can I claim him as a dependent on my taxes? He is not in college right now; but he is working.
These rules enable you claim a child as a dependent.
Qualifying Children
To be claimed as a qualifying child, the person must meet four criteria:
Relationship — the person must be your child, step child, adopted child, foster child, brother or sister, or a descendant of one of these (for example, a grandchild or nephew).
Residence — for more than half the year, the person must have the same residence as you do.
Age — the person must be
under age 19 at the end of the year, or
under age 24 and a be a full-time student for at least five months out of the year, or
any age and totally and permanently disabled.
Support — the person did not provide more than half of his or her own support during the year.
-
Thanks for the info. That's the same as last year; I was "hoping" that it would change due to Obamacare. Should have known better...
-
The child does not have to be a 'Qualifying child' to be claimed as a dependent, it is one of the two ways a child could be claimed. The other is as a "Qualifying relative," which applies if the child does not meet all the 'Qualifying child' criteria. Stripped down for your situation, the 'Qualifying relative' tests do not have an age limit, and they are -
- doesn't meet all the 'Qualifying child' tests
- you provide more than half the relative's support
- the relative must be within a specified set of relatives (Which includes a child or stepchild who isn't a 'Qualifying child') and does NOT have to live with you
- the child cannot have earned over a specified amount (Usually different from year to year, it was $3700 in tax year 2011). This is the one likely to be a problem for you.
So, if your child isn't working or at least not making anything much, and you're providing over half the support, he should be a 'Qualifying relative' if he fails to meet the criteria for 'Qualifying child."
Important to note, 'Qualifying child' for purposes of claiming a dependent exemption may be, but isn't necessarily, the same thing the phrase 'Qualifying child' might mean for other credit or deduction purposes, like education expenses. Unless the instructions make it clear that they really are talking about the same thing as in the dependency exemption, there may be additional or different hoops involved in 'Qualifying' for whatever the thing at hand might be at that point in the forms and schedules.
-
The child does not have to be a 'Qualifying child' to be claimed as a dependent, it is one of the two ways a child could be claimed. The other is as a "Qualifying relative," which applies if the child does not meet all the 'Qualifying child' criteria. Stripped down for your situation, the 'Qualifying relative' tests do not have an age limit, and they are -
- the child cannot have earned over a specified amount (Usually different from year to year, it was $3700 in tax year 2011). This is the one likely to be a problem for you.
So, if your child isn't working or at least not making anything much, and you're providing over half the support, he should be a 'Qualifying relative' if he fails to meet the criteria for 'Qualifying child."
Yeah...that one will be the problem. Thanks for helping y'all. I know that EIC is not popular here; but I was going to give it a try this year due to making SOOOO much less than I used to. My son is too young to qualify for it (I believe you have to be 25).
On the positive side; the company that my sister works for has shown interest in asking me in for an interview. She said they should be contacting me early next week. My sister and I have worked together before, and it was AWESOME! I look forward to the opportunity to work with her again. We work very well together...mainly because we brainstorm so well. She thinks more creatively, and I'm more logical; so there's not many problems we cannot solve when we put our heads together. Wish me luck; and I'll let y'all know how it goes.