Tax Tip of the Week | No. 414 | You Make The Call - EITC

Tax Tip of the Week | July 5, 2017 | No. 414 | You Make The Call - EITC

You Make the Call is a monthly format of questions and answers our office faces on a daily basis.  We hope you will find these tips to be a quick and fun read.QUESTION: Jamie and Claire are married and have total earned income of $40,000. They have a daughter, Bree, age 22 who graduated from college in May. After graduation, Bree moved back home with her parents and worked. She lived at home from June until December and earned $22,000.Jamie and Claire would like to know if they are still eligible for the earned income tax credit (EITC) using Bree as a qualifying child for EITC purposes, and Bree would like to know if she may claim her own exemption when preparing her tax return this year.ANSWER: Yes and yes. Under the qualifying child rules for purposes of dependency, Bree meets all the requirements except for support. Because she earns $22,000, she provides more than half of her own support. Therefore, Jamie and Claire may not claim her as a dependent. However, for EITC purposes because all the dependency tests are met, except for support, she is still a qualifying child for EITC. Therefore, Jamie and Claire may still receive EITC using Bree as a qualifying child for EITC purposes.Additionally, because Bree is no longer a qualifying child for dependency purposes, she may claim her own exemption when she files her return.Please note that the question and answer provided does not take into account all options or circumstances possible.  Call us if you find yourself in a similar situation.You can contact us in Dayton at 937-436-3133 and in Xenia at 937-372-3504.  Or visit our website.Rick Prewitt – the guy behind TTW...until next week.