Can My Parents Claim Me as a Dependent After Age 18?

Who Qualifies as a Dependent?

At almost any point in your life, your parents may claim you as a dependent if you meet the necessary qualifying criteria. Whether they are supporting you through college or helping you after a divorce, there may be an option for claiming you on their taxes.

To qualify as a dependent, you must fall under one of two categories: qualifying child or qualifying relative.

A qualifying child:

• Is younger than the filer
• Is younger than 19 (or younger than 24 if they are a full-time student) or permanently and totally disabled
• Must live with the filer for more than half the year (certain exceptions apply)
• Does not provide half of their own support

A qualifying relative:

• Can be any age
• Must live with the filer for an entire year or pass the IRS Member of Household or Relationship Test
• Gets more than half of their support from the filer
• Earns less than $4,300 annually

In either case, the qualifying person must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. resident alien, or a resident of Canada or Mexico

If you meet these qualifications, your parents may be able to claim you as a dependent on their taxes.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Being Claimed as a Dependent?

Dependent status provides limited positives for the dependent from a tax perspective. However, many adult children are happy to let their parents claim them as a tradeoff for their parents' support while they are in college or still receiving most of their financial support from family.

Claiming you as a dependent is an attractive option for your parents because it can reduce their tax liability. If your parents continue to claim you as a dependent after you turn 18, they may be able to take advantage of tax breaks like:

• The credit for other dependents
• A potentially higher earned income tax credit
• Form 1098-T education credits
• Student loan interest deduction
• Medical expenses deduction

Your standard deduction also decreases if your parents claim you on their taxes. It may be reduced to either $1,100 or your earned income plus $350, whichever is greater.

Do You Have to File Taxes as a Dependent?

If your parents claim you as a dependent on their taxes, you may still need to file your own tax return.

As a dependent, you will need to file taxes if you received over $1,100 of unearned income, $12,550 of earned income, or a gross income that was greater than $1,100 or $350 plus your earned income up to $12,200.

If you file your own tax return, be careful not to claim any credits your parents already claim with you as a dependent, such as the American opportunity tax credit for qualified education expenses.

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