How to add a dependent's W2 in TaxSlayer for 2025 filing season?
Hey everyone! I'm pulling my hair out trying to figure this out. My daughter (18) had a summer job last year and got a W2, but she's still my dependent since she's in college. I need to include her income on my return but can't figure out how to add her W2 in TaxSlayer. I've been using TaxSlayer for years but this is the first time dealing with a dependent who worked. I've clicked around everywhere in the dependent section but can't see where to enter her W2 info. Is there a specific menu I'm missing? When I try to add a W2, it only seems to be adding it as MY income, not hers. Am I supposed to file a separate return for her even though she's my dependent? Any help would be really appreciated because I'm on a deadline here!
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Dmitry Popov
You don't actually need to report your dependent's W2 income on your tax return. Your daughter's W2 income is reported on her own tax return, even if she's your dependent. Being a dependent doesn't mean their income becomes part of your return - it just means you can claim them as a dependent for tax benefits. If your daughter earned enough income to require filing (generally over $12,950 for 2024), she should file her own separate return. You can still claim her as a dependent on your return if she meets the qualifying child or qualifying relative tests. TaxSlayer actually has a student discount if she needs to file her own return.
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Ava Garcia
•But what if my kid only made like $3,000 last summer? Does he still need to file his own return even though it's way under the threshold? And will it mess up my dependent claim if he files separately?
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Dmitry Popov
•If your son only made $3,000, he's not required to file a return since he's under the filing threshold. However, he might want to file anyway to get back any federal or state taxes that were withheld from his paychecks. Filing his own return won't affect your ability to claim him as a dependent as long as he meets the dependent requirements (like you providing more than half his support). Just make sure to check the box on his return indicating that someone else can claim him as a dependent.
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StarSailor}
I went through this exact same confusion last year with my son's first W2! After hours of frustration, I found this incredible tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much stress. I uploaded his W2 to get clarification, and it explained that dependents file their own returns while still being claimed on the parent's return. The tool walks you through all the dependent rules and explained exactly how to handle my son's summer job income. It even flagged that I was trying to incorrectly add his income to my return, which would have triggered an IRS notice. Really helpful for getting instant answers instead of digging through TaxSlayer's help docs!
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Miguel Silva
•Does it actually work with TaxSlayer specifically? I'm using that too and wondering if taxr.ai can help me figure out where in the TaxSlayer interface to enter my daughter's college tuition payments. The 1098-T form confuses me every year.
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Zainab Ismail
•I'm kinda suspicious of these online tools. How does it handle security? I don't want to upload my son's W2 with his SSN just to get advice. Couldn't I just call TaxSlayer support instead?
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StarSailor}
•It absolutely works regardless of which tax software you're using! It's not tied specifically to TaxSlayer - it just explains the tax rules and where/how to enter information correctly. For your 1098-T, it would show you exactly which education credits you qualify for and how to claim them. As for security concerns, I totally get it - I was hesitant too. But they use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. You can also blur/cover the SSN before uploading if you're concerned. TaxSlayer support is an option too, but honestly I got stuck on hold for ages when I tried that route.
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Zainab Ismail
I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my skeptical comment earlier. I decided to give it a try with my son's tax situation and wow - it was actually super helpful! I uploaded his W2 (with the SSN partially covered) and it immediately explained that I should NOT include his income on my return and walked me through how he should file his own simple return. It even pointed out that since he's a student with just summer income, he qualifies for free filing through several services. Saved me from making a mistake that would have flagged our returns. The explanations were much clearer than what I got from reading IRS publications or TaxSlayer's help section.
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Connor O'Neill
If you're still struggling with TaxSlayer customer support (I've been there!), you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get direct help from the IRS. I couldn't get a straight answer about dependent filing requirements from TaxSlayer's support, so I used Claimyr to actually reach a human at the IRS without waiting for hours. They have this cool system shown in their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) that gets you through to an IRS agent quickly. The agent confirmed everything about dependents filing their own returns and clarified that my daughter's W2 should be on her return while I still claim her as a dependent on mine. Totally worth it for getting an official answer straight from the source!
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Yara Nassar
•How does this actually work? I've tried calling the IRS before and gave up after being on hold for like 2 hours. Do they somehow have a special line to the IRS or something?
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Keisha Robinson
•Yeah right, nobody gets through to the IRS. I've tried calling MULTIPLE times this year about my amended return and it's impossible. If this actually works I'll eat my hat.
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Connor O'Neill
•The service works by essentially waiting on hold for you. Their system connects with the IRS phone system and holds your place in line. When an IRS agent finally picks up, you get a call back immediately so you can speak with them. No special line - just technology that saves you from having to listen to that horrible hold music for hours. I was skeptical too, but when I tried it, I got connected to an IRS agent within about 90 minutes without having to stay on the phone myself. They handle all the waiting while you go about your day. When the IRS finally answered, my phone rang and I was talking to an actual IRS representative who answered all my dependent filing questions.
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Keisha Robinson
I need to come back and admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it for my amended return issues that I've been struggling with for months. I honestly couldn't believe it when my phone rang and there was an actual IRS agent on the line! The agent confirmed that I was right to file a separate return for my dependent son even though his income was only $4,200, and explained exactly how to track my amended return status. She even gave me a direct reference number for my case. I've been trying to get this info for MONTHS with no luck. Seriously impressed that this actually works as advertised.
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GalaxyGuardian
Just wanted to add one important thing - if your dependent kid has any investment income (like a custodial account or savings interest), the rules get more complicated. If they have both earned income (W2) AND investment income over $1,150, you might have to deal with the "kiddie tax" where some of their investment income is taxed at YOUR tax rate.
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Sofia Morales
•Wait, really? My daughter also has a savings account that my parents set up that earned like $320 in interest last year. Does that complicate things even though it's a pretty small amount?
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GalaxyGuardian
•Since your daughter's interest income is only $320, you don't need to worry about the kiddie tax complications. The rules only kick in when unearned income (like interest) exceeds $2,300 for 2024. Since she's under that threshold, she can just report both the W2 income and the interest income on her own simple return. Just make sure she receives the 1099-INT from the bank for that interest income and includes it on her return along with her W2. And remember, you can still claim her as your dependent if she meets the other qualifying requirements.
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Paolo Ricci
If your daughter is in college, don't forget to look into education credits when you file your taxes! Even though her W2 goes on her return, you can claim the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit on YOUR return if you're claiming her as a dependent and paying her tuition. That's worth up to $2,500 depending on your situation!
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Amina Toure
•This is so confusing to me. So the kid files their own W2 income, but the parent claims the education stuff? How does TaxSlayer handle this split situation?
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