Ask Terry Questions College Student claiming themselves as a dependent for Taxes

College Student claiming themselves as a dependent for Taxes

By Terry Savage on February 07, 2021 | Wild Card

Can my 22 year old daughter (who is a college student) claim herself as a dependent for income tax purposes? While I will lose the $500 dependent deduction by not claiming her, it appears the net benefit is greater for her to claim herself. I just want to confirm it is within the tax rules/guidelines for her to do so. Thanks.

Terry Says

She doesn’t claim HERSELF as a dependent, she just files a tax return as an independent person. And if she had income and can demonstrate that she provided for more than half of her support (college job, student loans, etc) then she can claim both stimulus payments. REad this article.
But she cannot be listed as a dependent on YOUR return!

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