Tax refund for a minor?

Question

My child (17) got his first job in 2006 and didn't set his withholdings high enough so that he had federal taxes taken out of his check. He is well below the personal exemption limit and I still will claim him on my return. How do I get his federal tax back if I claim him on mine?

Thanks

Answer 1

As long as your under-18 child lived with your for at least 1/2 the year and he didn't pay for 1/2 of his own living expenses, you should claim his as you dependent and he should not claim himself. Actually, IRS law says that even if you decided to not claim him, he STILL couldn't claim himself.

So, do as Judy says. He will file his own tax return. He will check the box that says "someone else can claim me". His standard deduction for "Single" will be $5150. He will NOT get the extra $3,300 personal exemption credit. If he earned less than $5150, then all of his box 2 withholdings will be refunded.

In addition, you can claim him on your tax return as you always did. You need not (nor should not) enter his income on your tax return...ever.

Next year, when he is 18, if he earns more than the personal exemption amount (which I believe will be $3,400), then he must be a full-time student for any part of at least 5 months in order for you to continue to claim him again. So, if he earns $3750 and was a full-time student from January 15th to May 2nd, you are OK to claim him and (of course) he won't be able to claim himself.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 2

You will claim him on your return just as you always have. He'll also file a return. He can probably use a 1040EZ. Be sure to check the box that says he's a dependent. If he was below the limit to owe anything, he'll get back as a refund whatever he had withheld. If his income was below the $5150 standard deduction amount, he's not required to file, but filing is the only way to get his withholding refunded.

Answer 3

He will have to file a return, there is no way around this. There is a place on the return where he will check "Can someone else claim you on their return" (or something to that effect).

This will, of course, affect the amount of withholding he gets back. You'd do well to take BOTH your tax returns to a professional and spend a few bucks to get it right.

Answer 4

he will not claim himself, but he will probably still get all of his federal tax back if he is under the limit, which teens usually are. Just fill out the 1040 EZ form and it should be quite easy.