Is NOT claiming an adult child as a dependent my choice?

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
February 27, 2021
2 replies
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I cannot locate in any IRS publication information that states if you MUST claim your adult child as a dependent if you qualify to do so. All the information online pertains to how to determine IF you can claim a dependent not if you must. I am not looking to claim my two adult children on my return. I qualify to claim them but must I?

Bsch4477

Employee

No. You don’t have to claim a dependent. But if you can claim them, they must check the box saying that someone can claim them even if you choose not to do so.

Hal_Al

Employee

Under the CARES Act, if you are claimed, or qualify to be claimed, as a dependent on someone else’s 2019 return you cannot receive a stimulus check, in 2020. If you qualified as a dependent for 2019, but will not be for 2020, you will most likely get it in 2021, when you file a 2020 tax return.

Note that the requirement is not just whether you are actually claimed as a dependent, it's whether you qualify to be claimed as a dependent.

Carl11_2

Employee

Here's how this works.

- If the student qualifies to be claimed as your dependent, then you the parent have a choice to claim the student, or not claim the student.

- If the student qualifies to be claimed as a dependent on the parent's tax return, the student DOES NOT have a choice. The student "MUST" select the option for "I can be claimed on someone else's tax return". It does not matter if the parent claims the student or not.

The student DOES NOT have a choice.

The parent DOES have a choice.