Question

College student 19 year old - must be dependent?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
March 29, 2020
1 reply
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My 19 year old son spent 9 months of 2019 calendar year in NYC as undergrad. I give him minimal actual dollars as financial support (less than $2000 last year). He made $2000 pr so dollars over his summer job, only earnings. College tuition/room & board is paid by a combination of college scholarship/grant money, his federal loans(himself) only AND Parent Plus loans that I co-sign.

he filed his own taxes this spring and I fear he made a mistake. He listed himself as Single filer and NOT dependent on anyone else’s return.

I am thinking that he is NOT supporting himself - he can file his own return but needs listed on MY return as dependent - due to the source(s) of his income. Is my reasoning sound?

any advice much appreciated

TurboTax Premier Online

ColeenD3

You are going to have to look at the loan amounts. On the face of it, you have loans, he has a loan. You contributed less than 2K, he contributed 2K. Scholarships don't enter into it.

Here is information from the Journal of Accountancy. Support

If the recipient is a full-time student at a qualifying educational organization as defined in section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) and “a child of the taxpayer” (section 152(f)(5)(A)), any scholarship is excluded from the support tests.

LOANS AND SECTION 529 AND COVERDELL DISTRIBUTIONS

Regardless of relationship to the taxpayer, a student who obtains a loan in his or her name and uses the proceeds to pay college expenses must count the proceeds as student-provided support (IRS Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (2010), Example 2, page 32).

@Jeryoung57