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June 6, 2019
Question

Can my parent claim me as a dependent at 26 years old?

  • June 6, 2019
  • 5 replies
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I was a full time student and my parents were paying for my tuition and housing.

5 replies

Employee
June 6, 2019

If your gross income was less than $4050, you do not file a joint return (if married) and they provided more than half of your return they can claim you as a dependent.

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June 6, 2019
same questions, but what if the 27 year old had investment income of $1,451
Employee
June 6, 2019

If your gross income was less than $4050, you do not file a joint return (if married) and they provided more than half of your return they can claim you as a dependent.

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Hal_Al
Employee
June 6, 2019

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, a relationship test and a residence test. Only a QC qualifies the taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit.

A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if he is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled.

After age 23, the income test kicks in. 

The 6 tests for claiming a qualifying relative dependent:

1. Closely Related OR live with the taxpayer ALL year

2. His/her gross taxable income for the year must be less than $4,050 (2016)

3. The taxpayer must have provided more than 1/2 his support

In either case:

4. He must be a US citizen or resident of the US, Canada or Mexico

5. He must not file a joint return with his spouse or be claiming a dependent of his own

6. He must not be the qualifying child of another taxpayer

February 16, 2020

Can I claim my child if she is 26, was in school for at least half time, lived with me all year, and made less than the $4050 last year?

DoninGA
Employee
February 16, 2020

@crtmoney wrote:

Can I claim my child if she is 26, was in school for at least half time, lived with me all year, and made less than the $4050 last year?


You should be able to claim her as your dependent under the Qualifying Relative rules if she meets all the requirements.

 

To be a Qualifying Relative -

1. The person cannot be your qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer. A child is not the qualifying child of any other taxpayer if the child's parent (or any other person for whom the child is defined as a qualifying child) is not required to file an income tax return or files an income tax return only to get a refund on income tax withheld.
2. The person either (a) must be related to you or (b) must live with you all year as a member of your household.
3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,200 (social security does not count) in 2019
4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.
5. The person must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S., Canada, or Mexico resident for some part of the year.
6. The person must not file a joint return with their spouse.

April 11, 2020

same question here, Can my parents claim me as a dependent? I'm 26 years old but im a full time student and have 2019 income is 4650

DavidS127
April 11, 2020

No, your parents cannot claim you as a dependent.  You aren't a "qualifying child" because you are over age 24, and you aren't a "qualifying relative" because your gross income is more than $4,200.

 

See this link to Table 5 in IRS Publication 501 for more details.

 

@quynhtrang123

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April 19, 2020

Im 26 in 2019 i made 17k AGI can i be claimed as a dependent i live with my parents i pay them rent. If they have filed and said they can claim me as a dependent i had to say yes that i was claimed. Will it effect my stimulus check if i dont qualify?

macuser_22
Employee
April 19, 2020

No.  You are to old and made too much.

**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**