Should my 17-year-old brother file his own tax return or be claimed as dependent? Made under $13k
My younger brother just turned 17 last September and he's a full-time high school junior. He got his first part-time job at the movie theater last year and made around $12,700 total - which I believe is under the IRS filing threshold of $13,850. My parents are trying to figure out what makes the most sense financially. They're leaning toward claiming him as a dependent on their taxes since it seems like they'd get a better tax benefit compared to him filing his own return. But now I'm worried - will my parents get in trouble with the IRS if they claim him as a dependent without him filing his own tax return? The last thing I want is for them to get flagged for an audit or something. Can someone please explain what the right approach is here? Thank you!
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Nia Wilson
Your parents can absolutely claim your brother as a dependent without him filing his own tax return - they won't get in trouble for this. Since he's under 19, a full-time student, and your parents provide more than half his support, he qualifies as their dependent. The $13,850 threshold is about whether HE is required to file his own return, not about whether he can be claimed as a dependent. These are separate issues. If he's under the threshold, he's not legally required to file (though he might want to if he had taxes withheld and wants a refund). Your parents claiming him doesn't prevent him from filing his own return if needed. He would just need to check the box that says "Someone can claim you as a dependent" on his return.
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Luca Russo
•Thank you so much for clarifying! That makes me feel a lot better. So if I understand correctly, even if my parents claim him as a dependent, he could still file his own return to get back any withholdings? Would that mess up my parents' return in any way?
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Nia Wilson
•Your brother can absolutely file his own return to get his withholdings back, even while being claimed as a dependent on your parents' return. This won't mess up your parents' taxes at all. The key thing is that your brother needs to check the box on his return indicating that he can be claimed as a dependent by someone else. This ensures the IRS systems recognize the situation correctly and doesn't create conflicts between the returns.
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Mateo Sanchez
I went through exactly this confusion last year with my younger sister! After hours of frustration trying to figure out the dependent rules, I found this AI tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that analyzes all your documents and tells you exactly what to do. I uploaded my sister's W-2 and answered a few questions about her student status, and it immediately confirmed she could be claimed as a dependent while also filing her own return to get her withholdings back. It even showed the exact tax forms and which boxes to check. Saved me so much headache!
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Aisha Mahmood
•Did it actually work correctly though? I've tried tax software before and it kept giving me contradictory information about my daughter's situation which was similar.
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Ethan Clark
•How does this compare to just using regular tax software? I'm hesitant to try new tax tools since the stakes are pretty high if something goes wrong.
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Mateo Sanchez
•It absolutely worked correctly! The difference from regular tax software is it doesn't just ask generic questions - it actually analyzes the tax documents themselves and applies the specific IRS rules. My sister got her refund without any issues, and my parents' dependent claim went through fine too. For your question about comparing to regular tax software, the main advantage is it's focused specifically on analyzing documents and explaining the rules that apply to YOUR situation, not general advice. It pointed out several deductions related to education credits we would have missed in regular software. There's also a verification feature that double-checks everything before submission.
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Ethan Clark
Just wanted to update after trying that taxr.ai site mentioned above. I was really skeptical but decided to give it a shot with my son's situation (17, made about $11k last year). It was actually super helpful! The document analysis picked up that he had too much federal tax withheld from his paychecks and showed exactly how to file his own return while still letting us claim him as a dependent. He's getting back over $800 that would have just disappeared if he hadn't filed! Plus it confirmed we were eligible for the dependent tax credit with him being a full-time student. Really glad I checked it out!
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AstroAce
If you're trying to call the IRS to get clarification on this dependent situation, good luck... I spent 3 hours on hold last week trying to ask about a similar situation with my niece. Finally found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent confirmed that a dependent who earned under the threshold isn't required to file, but SHOULD file if they had any federal withholding to get that money back. And yes, they can file their own return while still being claimed as a dependent by their parents. The parents just get different tax benefits (like dependent credits) that the child doesn't qualify for.
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Yuki Kobayashi
•Wait, there's actually a way to skip the IRS hold times? How does that even work? Sounds too good to be true honestly.
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Carmen Vega
•Yeah right. No way this actually works. The IRS is notorious for making people wait on hold for HOURS. I'll believe it when I see it.
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AstroAce
•It works by using an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an agent finally picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to them. It's not magic, just clever automation that waits on hold so you don't have to. As for the skepticism, I felt exactly the same way! I figured it was worth trying since I'd already wasted so much time on hold. Was genuinely shocked when my phone rang and there was an actual IRS agent on the line. Saved me hours of frustration and I got the exact information I needed about my dependent filing question.
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Carmen Vega
Ok I need to eat my words. After seeing the responses here I tried that Claimyr service because I've been trying to reach the IRS for 2 weeks about my daughter's dependent status (she's 16 but made about $12k from her summer job). I was 100% sure it would be a waste of time but I got a call back in about 35 minutes with an actual IRS representative on the line! She confirmed everything mentioned here - my daughter doesn't HAVE to file since she's under the threshold, but she SHOULD file to get back her withholdings. And yes, I can still claim her as my dependent which gives me the dependent tax credit. Just wanted to share in case anyone else is as skeptical as I was. Sometimes good things actually exist!
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Andre Rousseau
Just to add something nobody mentioned - if your brother had ANY self-employment income (like mowing lawns, babysitting, etc that he got paid for directly, not through a company with a W-2), the filing threshold is much lower - only $400 for self-employment income! So if any of his income wasn't from a regular employer, different rules apply.
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Luca Russo
•Oh that's interesting! He did do some weekend yard work for our neighbor and got paid about $300 cash throughout the summer. Does that count as self-employment? And would that change whether my parents can claim him?
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Andre Rousseau
•The $300 from yard work would technically count as self-employment income, but since it's under the $400 threshold for self-employment tax, it doesn't trigger a required filing on its own. Your brother would add this to his total income though if he does file. This doesn't change your parents' ability to claim him as a dependent at all. The dependent qualification is based on age, relationship, residency, and support tests - not on whether the dependent files their own return or how much they made (within certain limits that your brother is well under).
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Zoe Stavros
Lots of great advice here but I want to add: even if your brother isn't required to file, having him file his own return is good practice for learning about taxes! My son started filing at 16 and now at 20 he's way more financially literate than I was at his age.
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Jamal Harris
•This is so true! I wish someone had taught me about taxes when I was younger. I was completely lost when I had to file on my own for the first time in college.
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