Submitted By: Sarah
Answered: October 14, 2016 11:22 am

Our son graduated from college this past May and is now living at home. Can we claim him as our dependent?

A child can be a parent’s dependent if under age 24 and a full-time student who does not provide more than half of his/her support. A full-time student means the child is enrolled in school on a full-time basis for at least part of five months during the year. You must decide whether your son meets these tax requirements to be treated as your dependent.

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Tax Glossary

Deductions

Items directly reducing income. Personal deductions such as for mortgage interest, state and local taxes, and charitable contributions are allowed only if deductions are itemized on Schedule A, but deductions such as for alimony, capital losses, moving expenses to a new job location, business losses, student loan interest, and IRA and Keogh deductions are deducted from gross income even if itemized deductions are not claimed.

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