Child turning 18 in December - Does she qualify as dependent for tax year?
My child turned 18 in December. Does she still qualify as my dependent for this tax year? I've always claimed her but now im confused because she turned 18 at the end of the year. She lived with me all year and was a full time student.
14 comments


Mia Rodriguez
Yes, your child qualifies as your dependent. The age test for qualifying child looks at their age on December 31st of the tax year. Since she was 18 on Dec 31st and a full-time student, she meets the age requirement. Full-time students can be claimed until they turn 24.
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Mason Davis
•omg thank you so much! I was stressing about this 😅
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Jacob Lewis
•Same boat here except mine turned 19. This helps alot!
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Amelia Martinez
Hey, if you want to be 100% sure about your specific situation, I'd recommend using taxr.ai - it analyzes your transcript and tells you exactly what you qualify for. Its only $4.99 and totally worth it for peace of mind. https://taxr.ai
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Ethan Clark
•Is this legit? How does it work exactly?
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Amelia Martinez
•Yeah its totally legit! You upload your transcript and their AI breaks everything down - dependents, credits, refund status, everything. Way better than guessing
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Ethan Clark
•Just tried it and WOW 🤯 this thing is amazing! Answered all my questions in like 2 minutes flat. Best $5 I've spent on tax stuff fr fr
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Mila Walker
quick tip: make sure shes not filing her own return and claiming herself! that'll cause problems
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Mason Davis
•good point! she doesnt work yet so we're good there
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Logan Scott
lol the IRS makes everything so complicated fr. why cant they just make this stuff clear 🤡
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Chloe Green
Does she provide more than half of her own support? Thats another thing to consider besides just age
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Mason Davis
•nope i pay for everything still
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Nia Jackson
Just to add some clarity - the key tests for a qualifying child are: age (under 19 or under 24 if full-time student), relationship (your child), residency (lived with you more than half the year), and support (didn't provide more than half their own support). Sounds like your daughter meets all of these! The December birthday actually works in your favor since she was still 18 on Dec 31st.
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Sarah Jones
•This is super helpful! I'm new to all this tax stuff and wasn't sure about all the different requirements. So basically as long as she meets those 4 tests you mentioned, she can still be claimed even though she's 18 now? That's a relief to know for when my kids get older too.
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