Skip to main content
February 5, 2025
Solved

What tax rate is charged to taxable scholarships

  • February 5, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 0 views

My son has taxable scholarships and also works.  We claim him as a dependent but the scholarship is greater than qualified expenses.  He was working before the scholarship were awarded and expected to earn less than 10,000 so no federal taxes were withheld and only a small amount for state. Scholarships used for unqualfied expenses was around 10,000.  Should he be taxed just based on his income (earned and unearned-the scholarship) or will the tax rate be based on the parent's income tax rate?

 

It just seems high?

    Best answer by Hal_Al

    The parent's marginal tax rate will be applied to most of the taxable scholarship (the so called "kiddie tax"). About $4600 will not be taxed at all, because of the increased standard deduction. 

     

    Scholarships are a hybrid between earned and unearned income. It is earned income for purposes of the $14,600 filing requirement (2024) and the dependent standard deduction calculation (earned income + $450).  It is not earned income for the kiddie tax and other purposes (e.g. EIC).  For grad students and post grad fellows, scholarship, stipend and fellowship income is earned income ("compensation") for IRA contributions.

     

    You might want to consider having him pay even more tax:

      There is a tax “loop hole” available to claim an education credit, for the parents of students on scholarship. The student reports all his scholarship, up to the amount needed to claim the American Opportunity Credit (AOC), as income on his return. That way, the parents  (or himself, if he is not a dependent) can claim the tuition credit on their return. They can do this because that much tuition was no longer paid by "tax free" scholarship.  You cannot do this  if the conditions of the grant are that it be used to pay for qualified expenses.

    Using an example: Student has $10,000 in box 5 of the 1098-T and $8000 in box 1. At first glance he/she has $2000 of taxable income and nobody can claim the American opportunity credit. But if she reports $6000 as income on her return, the parents can claim $4000* of qualified expenses on their return.

    Books and computers are also qualifying expenses for the AOC. So, extending the example, the student had another $1000 in expenses for those course materials, paid out of pocket. She would only need to report $5000 of taxable scholarship income, instead of $6000.

     

    Taxable scholarship goes on line 8r of Schedule 1.

     

    *The AOC is 100% of the first $2000 of tuition and 25% of the 2nd $2000.  Declaring only $2000 more scholarship (instead of $4000) might be an alternate option; usually not. 

     

     

     

     

    2 replies

    Hal_Al
    Hal_AlAnswer
    Employee
    February 5, 2025

    The parent's marginal tax rate will be applied to most of the taxable scholarship (the so called "kiddie tax"). About $4600 will not be taxed at all, because of the increased standard deduction. 

     

    Scholarships are a hybrid between earned and unearned income. It is earned income for purposes of the $14,600 filing requirement (2024) and the dependent standard deduction calculation (earned income + $450).  It is not earned income for the kiddie tax and other purposes (e.g. EIC).  For grad students and post grad fellows, scholarship, stipend and fellowship income is earned income ("compensation") for IRA contributions.

     

    You might want to consider having him pay even more tax:

      There is a tax “loop hole” available to claim an education credit, for the parents of students on scholarship. The student reports all his scholarship, up to the amount needed to claim the American Opportunity Credit (AOC), as income on his return. That way, the parents  (or himself, if he is not a dependent) can claim the tuition credit on their return. They can do this because that much tuition was no longer paid by "tax free" scholarship.  You cannot do this  if the conditions of the grant are that it be used to pay for qualified expenses.

    Using an example: Student has $10,000 in box 5 of the 1098-T and $8000 in box 1. At first glance he/she has $2000 of taxable income and nobody can claim the American opportunity credit. But if she reports $6000 as income on her return, the parents can claim $4000* of qualified expenses on their return.

    Books and computers are also qualifying expenses for the AOC. So, extending the example, the student had another $1000 in expenses for those course materials, paid out of pocket. She would only need to report $5000 of taxable scholarship income, instead of $6000.

     

    Taxable scholarship goes on line 8r of Schedule 1.

     

    *The AOC is 100% of the first $2000 of tuition and 25% of the 2nd $2000.  Declaring only $2000 more scholarship (instead of $4000) might be an alternate option; usually not. 

     

     

     

     

    DaveF1006
    February 5, 2025

    Since your son has earned income from working on a job, he will need to file his own tax return. He will be assessed at his own tax rate for his work income and the scholarship income will be assessed at the kiddie tax rate, which is your marginal tax rate. As his return is prepared, there will be a section where it will be asked for the parent's information to determine the kiddie tax rate on his unearned scholarship income.

     

    When his return is prepared, be sure that it is mentioned that he is a dependent of someone else in the PERSONAL INFO section of his return.

     

    [Edited 02/06/24|6:56 pm PST]

     

     

    **Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
    February 5, 2025

    If we claim him as a dependent we get the other dependent credit.  So would it be better to claim him as a dependent?

    Hal_Al
    Employee
    February 5, 2025

    Q.  So would it be better to NOT claim him as a dependent?

    A. No. Not claiming him as a dependent would not eliminate the kiddie tax.  It's based on age, student status and source of support, not dependent status.