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The Daily Insight

Can I claim my son in college on my taxes?

Author

Emma Jordan

Published Apr 03, 2026

In a nutshell, you can usually claim your college student as a dependent if they’re a full-time student at a qualifying school and they meet the IRS guidelines below. Note that only one person (or spouses filing jointly) may claim a student as a qualifying child.

How much do you get for claiming a college student as a dependent?

Why Your IRS Refund Is Late This Year Therefore, if you have a dependent college student who is up to the age of 24, you could qualify for a $500 Child Tax Credit. There are other requirements, including that you pay more than half of your child’s expenses and can be claimed as a dependent.

If your child is a full-time college student, you can claim them as a dependent until they are 24. If they are working while in school, you must still provide more than half of their financial support to claim them. However, you may still be able to claim them as a dependent even if they file their own return.

Should I claim my college kid as a dependent?

Fortunately, the answer is yes — as long as certain criteria are met. In a nutshell, you can usually claim your college student as a dependent if they’re a full-time student at a qualifying school and they meet the IRS guidelines below.

Can a college student be claimed on a parent’s tax return?

Whether or not you can be claimed as a dependent on your parents’ tax return is based on your age, student status and who is paying the bills.

Are there any tax credits for college students?

Students who are in graduate school or who aren’t attending school at least half time may be eligible for the lifetime learning credit, which is worth up to 20% of eligible expenses, with a maximum credit of $2,000 per tax return. If the parents claim them as a dependent, the parents may be able to take the credit.

How old do you have to be to claim a college student as a dependent?

You can usually claim your college student children as dependents. However, to claim a college student as a dependent, the child must: Be under age 19, or under age 24 and a full-time student for at least five months of the year. Be younger than you, unless they are permanently and totally disabled.

Can a self supporting student file a tax return?

The only way to do that is to use the Non-Filers tool, available exclusively on IRS.gov. Those eligible to use the tool can include people who receive little or no income, including many self-supporting students. The IRS emphasized that only self-supporting students who are not required to file a tax return should use the Non-Filers tool.