Follow the steps below to determine if you have a dependent and to see which tax benefits you may qualify for as a result. TaxAct® will automatically calculate any credit you can take based on your entries. For the tax credits listed below, your dependent and income information must be entered before the program can make the calculations.
Step 1: Determine if You Have a Dependent
Step 2: Determine Which Qualifications You Meet
Step 3: Make the Entries in TaxAct
Use the chart below to determine if you have any qualifying children or relatives.
Rules for Claiming a Dependent | |
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Tests To Be a Qualifying Child | Tests To Be a Qualifying Relative |
If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, only one person can actually treat the child as a qualifying child. See Qualifying Child of More Than One Person, later, to find out which person is the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child. |
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Note: There are exceptions for persons who are adopted, disabled, deceased, or children of divorced, separated, or temporarily absent parents. See IRS Publication 501 for more information. |
If you have a qualifying child or relative, you must enter the dependent's information in your TaxAct return. Click Basic Info (on smaller devices, click the menu icon in the upper left-hand corner, then select Basic Info), then Dependents. After your dependent and income information have been entered, the program can calculate the credits below, if applicable.
Once you determine whether your dependent is a qualifying child or qualifying relative, refer to the chart below to see if the relationship can be used to calculate a credit or qualify for a certain filing status.
If your QUALIFYING CHILD is: | Can the child be used to claim: | ||||
Earned Income Credit | Child Tax Credit | Child and Dependent Care Credit | Head of Household Filing Status | Qualifying Widow(er) Filing Status | |
Your son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A descendant of your son, daughter, or stepchild | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
An eligible foster child | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Your brother, sister, stepbrother, or stepsister | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
A descendant of your sibling or stepsibling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
If your QUALIFYING RELATIVE is: | Can the relative be used to claim: | ||||
Earned Income Credit | Child Tax Credit | Child and Dependent Care Credit | Head of Household Filing Status | Qualifying Widow(er) Filing Status | |
Your son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A descendant of your son, daughter, or stepchild | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
An eligible foster child | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Your brother, sister, or a descendant of your brother or sister | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Your father or mother, or the sibling or descendant of your father or mother | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Your stepsibling or stepparent | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Your son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Note: You must be unmarried to file Head of Household. If you are considered unmarried (defined on page 8 of IRS Publication 501), you may only file Head of Household if the qualifying individual is your son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, or an eligible foster child. |
Important: You must meet other conditions to qualify for a credit or filing status listed above. See the following help topics for additional information and qualifications you need to consider:
If you qualify and wish to enter or review information for a credit:
If you qualify and wish to change your filing status: