adult son still lives at home, how do we file his taxes?

Question

In 05 he was a minor, we claimed him as a dependent. He worked part time and made $6250 and paid $385 in in tax. This year we claimed his as our dependent. Will he get a refund? Does he file his own return?

In 06 he was 18, but still lived at home off mom and dad. This means we still claim him as a dependent then? In 06 he made about $9000 in wages and paid out about $550 in tax. Will he get a refund?

Now for 07 coming up, he is 19, same scenario. At age 19 do we still claim him as a dependent? Yes, he still lives off mom and dad?

Thanks

Answer 1

If you are still supporting him, you can claim him as a dependent. But his own tax return has to match that. He can't claim himself if you claim him.

Answer 2

First point. YOU don't file his taxes. He does. Period. Whether he's 16, 2, or 45. (OK, if he was 2, you would fill out the return in his name and sign as his parent, but you get my drift.)

Since he is now 19 he is not your dependent under the Qualifying Child rules any longer unless he is a full time student or is totally and permanently disabled. He might qualify as a Qualifying Relative for 2007 but if he had $9,000 in income for 2007, that one is out the window as well as his gross income would have to be less than $3,400 for 2007 to be your dependent.

For tax years 2005 and 2006 since he was under age 19 he would qualify as your dependent under the Qualifying Child rules as long as he lived in your household for over 6 months and provided less than 50% of his OWN support. For the support test it doesn't matter how much he earned but what he did with the money. With his income in 2005 and 2006 it could go either way. There are worksheets in IRS Pubs 501 and 17 that will help you determine if he paid more than 50% of his own support.

Whether he gets a refund for any particular tax year depends upon his tax liability and how much was withheld from his pay. His tax liability will depend upon whether you can claim him as a dependent so until you crunch the numbers it's not possible to say.

If he did not file for 2005 or 2006, those returns are overdue. Although he probably will get a refund he needs to file those returns ASAP. If it comes out that he owes there will be penalties and interest assessed on top of the tax liability.

Answer 3

If you have not filed your 2006 return, you can claim your son as long as he did not provide over half of his own support. If he spent his $9,000 on music downloads and other frivolous stuff, that is still support, so figure that accordingly.

Your son is responsible for his own tax return. If he has not filed for 2006, he needs to immediately because he owes taxes. If his wages did not withhold enough for taxes, he will owe interest and penalties as well. He will file as single with zero exemptions if you claim him.

In 2007, if your son is not a full-time student, then you cannot claim him as your dependent even if you supported him. This is because he earned at least $3,400. He will file single and claim himself.

Answer 4

If he's 19 you can only claim him as a qualifying child if he's a full time student and didn't provide over half of his own support. And if he made over $3400 for the year, you can't claim him as a qualifying relative either, even if you provided all of his support. You were OK to now, but the year the child turns 19 is the cutoff age for claiming a qualifying child. So unless he's a full time student, you can't claim him for 2007. He can claim himself on his own return.

Answer 5

If he has any income he will have to fill out a return you may want to check with a CPA but I think you can still claim him as long as you can show where you are providing for him. He's an adult now...let him worry about wether or not he gets a refund (unless you make him give you a percentage).