Question

Caroline and her husband Chris got divorced in May of this year. During the year, Caroline provided all the support for herself and her 23-year-old child Hans (not a full-time student) who lived in the same home as Caroline for the entire year. Hans earned $29,000 this year. What is the Caroline’s most favorable filing status for the year?

Answer 1

Answer: Hans does not qualify as Caroline's dependent due to his age and his income so Caroline must single for the year

Explanation: Qualifying dependents include: (1) a dependent child who lives with you for over half the year and is over age 16 and up to age 23 if the child is a student and (2) a long list of non-child relatives (grandchild, sibling, stepbrother, stepsister, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, stepfather, stepmother, niece, nephew, uncle, aunt, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and others).If you’re the parent of a child who is age 17 to 23, and you pay all (or most) of his or her expenses, you may be surprised to learn you’re not eligible for the child tax credit. But there’s a dependent tax credit that may be available to you. It’s not as valuable as the child tax credit, but when you’re saving for college or paying tuition, every dollar counts.