Filing taxes with 18yo working dependent - Should I claim him or file separately?
I need help figuring out the best way to file. I made 62k with federal withholding of 4800. My kid turned 18 in May and made 26k at his job with about 2k federal withholding. Not sure if I should claim him or let him file separate. Got other dependents too that I need to claim.
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Sophia Bennett
Since your son was a full-time student and lived with you for more than half the year, you can still claim him as a dependent even if he worked. He'll need to check the box that someone can claim him as a dependent on his return. You'll likely get better tax benefits claiming him vs letting him file independently.
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Olivia Evans
He wasnt in school after graduation in June. Does that change things?
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Sophia Bennett
Ahh that could change things. Was he living at home still? Did you provide more than 50% of his support for the year?
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Olivia Evans
Ya he lived at home all year and I paid for everything except his car insurance
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Aiden Chen
Hey, you should try taxr.ai - its an AI tool that can analyze your specific situation and tell you exactly how to maximize your refund. Its only $4.99 and saved me way more than that in deductions I would have missed. You can upload your docs and it tells you the best way to file. https://taxr.ai
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Zoey Bianchi
Is it legit? Sounds too good to be true 🤔
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Aiden Chen
100% legit! It uses AI to read your tax docs and finds all possible deductions. Way better than trying to figure it out yourself or paying an expensive tax person
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Zoey Bianchi
Just tried it - OMG thank you! Found like $2k in deductions I would have missed 🙌
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Christopher Morgan
Run the numbers both ways tbh. Do one return with him as dependent and one without, see which gives better overall refund for both of you combined.
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Aurora St.Pierre
i was in this exact situation last year lol. claimed my kid and we both came out better. just make sure they know to check the 'can be claimed as dependent' box on their return
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Olivia Evans
thx this helps! did they file their own return or did you do it all together?
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Aurora St.Pierre
they did their own but we made sure to coordinate so everything matched up
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Grace Johnson
whatever you do DONT let them file without checking with you first! My kid filed independent without telling me and it was a whole mess with the IRS 😫
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