<p>If a college student is receiving room, board, tuition and outside scholarship money can you still use him as a deduction? Is that student still a dependant?
At what point does the student no longer remain your dependant?</p>
<p>Take a look at this:
<a href=“http://taxes.about.com/od/dependents/a/Dependents.htm[/url]”>http://taxes.about.com/od/dependents/a/Dependents.htm</a>
The rules seem to have changed recently and are somewhat complicated.</p>
<p>thank you dt123</p>
<p>How can anyone claim a kid who goes away to school? They are away for more than 6 months a year…</p>
<p>The child must meet ALL four criteria? Meaning if they live in the dorm 9 mos. of the year they do not qualify? That doesn’t seem right.</p>
<p>From a different site, a better explanation:</p>
<p>Quote: “Residency test: The child must live with you for more than half of the year. If the youth is away temporarily for special circumstances, such as for school, vacation, medical treatment, military service or detention in a juvenile facility, these particular absences still count as time lived at home. A child who was born or died during the year is considered to have lived with you for the entire year if your home was the child’s home for the entire time he or she was alive during the year.”</p>
<p>mom music…you made me somewhat happier. Now what exactly is “half their support?”</p>
<p>Amazing that a 19 yr old who makes more than $3500 is independent. I have got to read alot more for this one. My entire health insurance for my kids is based on tax dependency.</p>
<p>I just consulted my tax person about this issue. I have the opposite problem. I want her to be considered independent for tax purposes. She will have some deductions that I can’t qualify for, not to mention the fact that we lose her as a deduction anyway (because we are too damn rich apparently.)</p>
<p>My tax lady told me that I MUST claim her as a dependent unless daughter can PROVE that she is supporting herself at college. We can’t just decide she’s independant and leave it at that. </p>
<p>I love it how the government makes sure they screw you, no matter what.</p>
<p>sax: Actually it states that a person who is 19, making more than $3200, AND a full-time student (9 months or more of the year) still is a dependent.</p>
<p>But you’re right, “they” sure don’t don’t make it easy to understand the rules do they?</p>
<p>Yeah, they make lots of hoo-ha about “lowering taxes” then make sure they get you at the other end.</p>
<p>Good grief…this is so confusing…aaarrrggghhhhhh</p>
<p>pencil…I can’t believe you can be forced to name someone a dependent…darn<br>
It’s the health insurance that concerns me. Have one kid over 19 planning on taking a year off to work and save some $$…yikes</p>
<p>justamom…hurray!</p>
<p>More complications: I live overseas but also own an apartment in the USA. I file US tax as a bona fide resident of a foreign country. My D used the USA apt. address for voter registration–so that it is her voting residence–but I pay all expenses for that apartment and almost all her college expenses, where she lives in a dorm for 9 months ( in a differernt state from the apt.) . She earns between 3,000 and 4,000 dollars in work-study on campus. So is she my dependent ? I pay 90% of her expenses.</p>
<p>I can’t answer pyewacket’s question. I’m just glad someone answered OP’s question because I was going to have get the answer from our acccountant, along with answers to a million FAFSA questions!</p>
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<p>Actually, being a dependent does not automatically qualify our 19 year old for health insurance. You will have to check your policy. Most read that a child can continue to be covered on your policy as long as that child is attending school full time (12 credits or more) until the age of 25. The exception is if the child is disabled. Call your insurance. They will be able to tell you what your health insurance will cover…and it’s not only dependent for tax purpose related.</p>
<p>Luckily I found out we have awesome insurance. After calling today found they will carry health insurance as long as she lives at home, is under 24 and we support her. And it doesn’t matter how much money she earns and she doesn’t have to be in college. Phewww… However she is not a dependent for tax purposes. </p>
<p>And with the “scholarship kid” he is still a dependent regardless of how much money he brings in. Pheww…again.</p>
<p>Our federal employee health insurance only covers kids who are dependents until they turn 22 
Hoping to get our state legislature to extend the time that they’re covered until they get their 1st full-time “real” job. Keeping my fingers crossed on this.</p>
<p>What are the tax rules if a kid takes a gap year after high school and lives away from home, but you still support him? Still dependent?</p>
<p>pencil, our tax guy had us stop declaring the kids as dependents as soon as they starting working in high school. They kept much more of their money and declaring them didn’t help us. So one of our guys is wrong. We haven’t declared them for years and so far IRS hasn’t questioned anything?</p>
<p>This website lists the following. Interpret it however you want. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.finaid.org/educators/irsdependent.phtml[/url]”>http://www.finaid.org/educators/irsdependent.phtml</a></p>
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<p>Big change for 2005 and later is</p>
<p>For qualifying children, it is sufficient that the child not have provided more than half his/her own support.</p>
<p>This makes support rule for qualifying children and other relatives different. For the child, You no longer have to provide more than 50% support, as long as the child himself/herself doesn’t supply more than 50%. So, if child supplies 30%, grandma supplies 25% and you supply 45%, still can claim as a dependant if child meets qualifying test. And, money from a scholarship doesn’t count at all in the formula (as in isn’t part of the support child supplies themselves).</p>
<p>thanks for the link keepmesane…it explains things further than I could find on the IRS site.</p>