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Dependents - Who You Can Claim for Certain Tax Benefits
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Your filing status and eligibility for certain credits is determined, in part, by whether you have a qualifying dependent. The software will automatically calculate any eligible credits once you enter your information. Tips are provided during the interview process, but you can also use the guidelines below to help determine if someone qualifies as your dependent.

Entering Dependent and Credit Information
Follow these instructions to enter dependent and credit information in your TaxAct return:
  1. Ensure that you have entered your Basic Information.
  2. Then, enter your dependent’s information by going to Federal > Basic Information > Dependents and Other Qualifying Persons. For more detailed information, see Dependents - Entering and Reviewing.
  3. In the Federal > Credits menu, complete each of the following sections, as applicable: 
    • Child and Dependent Care Credit: Select Child and dependent care expenses, then answer the related questions.
    • Earned Income Credit (EIC): Select Earned income credit.
    • Child Tax Credit: Select Child tax credit/Credit for other dependents.
    • Credits cannot be calculated until you have entered dependent and income information.
  4. In Federal > Basic Information, select Filing Status.
    • Verify or select your correct filing status and complete the interview questions.
Note: To file as Head of Household, you must generally be unmarried and have a qualifying dependent who lived with you for more than half the year. If you meet these requirements, you will be prompted to select Head of Household while entering your basic information. Head of Household will not appear as an option until after you have entered a qualifying dependent. Specific rules apply for foster children and relatives. See IRS  Publication 501 for full details.
 
Dependent Guidelines
  • You cannot claim dependents if you or your spouse (if filing jointly) can be claimed as a dependent by someone else.
  • You cannot claim a married person who files a joint return, unless it’s solely to claim a tax refund.
  • Your dependent must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.
  • The individual must meet the requirements to be a qualifying child or qualifying relative.

Qualifying Child Requirements
To be a qualifying child, the person must pass the following tests:
  1. Relationship: Your child, stepchild, foster child, sibling, or a descendant of any of them.
  2. Age: The child must be at least one of the following:
    • Under age 19 and younger than you (or your spouse).
    • Under age 24, a full-time student, and younger than you (or your spouse).
    • Any age if permanently and totally disabled.
  3. Residency: The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year.
  4. Support: The child must not have provided more than half of their own support during the year.
  5. Joint Return: The child must not have filed a joint return for the tax year (unless to claim a refund)
Note: If a child meets the criteria to be the qualifying child of more than one person, only one taxpayer may claim the child.

Qualifying Relative Requirements
To be a qualifying relative:
  1. The person cannot be your qualifying child, or the qualifying child of another taxpayer.
  2. The person must either:
    • Live with you all year as a member of your household.
    • Be related to you in one of the ways listed in Publication 501.
  3. The person’s gross income must be less than $5,050 for 2024.
  4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.
 
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