age requirement for claiming child on taxes
If your children become disabled, age is not a factor in claiming them. Age is only one factor in deciding whether you can claim a dependent and take an exemption on your taxes. In that sense there is no specific age limit for claiming dependents, although all dependents must meet certain IRS requirements. A child will be treated as the qualifying child of his or her noncustodial parent (for purposes of claiming an exemption and the child tax credit, but not for the EIC) if all of the following apply: The parents: 1  Are divorced or legally separated under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance, As long as the amount you spent on her support exceeded $20,000, you can claim her as a dependent, Durkin says. However, if you claim your child as a dependent, she can't claim a personal exemption on her own tax return. A pre-1985 decree of divorce or separate maintenance or written separation agreement that applies to the tax year provides that the noncustodial parent can claim the child as a dependent, and the noncustodial parent provides at least $600 for support of the child during the tax year. Under this special rule, the noncustodial parent may claim the dependency exemption for a child if the custodial parent releases the exemption. Also, the noncustodial parent may claim the child tax credit if the other requirements for the child tax credit are met. A dependent must be either a qualifying child or qualifying relative.. Only qualifying children have an age test. A qualifying child must be under 19 at the end of the year. If your child is a full-time student, you can claim an exemption until she's 24 years old. If she becomes permanently and totally disabled, you can potentially claim her as a dependent at any age. To claim the EITC, the child must have lived with the taxpayer in the United States for more than half of the year except for temporary absences. If this residency requirement is not met, your client may not claim the EITC by claiming his son as a qualifying child. Because it could save you thousands of dollars on your taxes. For every qualified dependent you claim, you reduce your 2014 taxable income by $3,950. This can add up to substantial savings on your tax bill. Dependent rules also apply to other benefits, such as tax credits. Many of these credits are available only if you have qualified dependents. For example, both the child tax credit and the earned-income tax credit rely on these rules. In addition, the rules help you determine if you can write off dependent daycare expenses, medical expenses, various itemized deductions and most tax credits that involve children or family issues. The noncustodial parent may claim the dependency exemption for a child if the custodial parent releases a claim to exemption. Also, the noncustodial parent may claim the child tax credit for the child if the requirements for the child tax credit are met. As long as your child's income doesn't exceed the amount you spent on support, and meets the other tests, you can claim the child as a dependent, says Terry Durkin, an enrolled agent in Burlington, Mass. For example, suppose your daughter graduated from college in May, found a job in September and earned $20,000.
Under 19