Claiming a dependent gives you a valuable tax break in the dependent’s personal exemption, which reduces your taxable income. But there are a couple of other tax breaks associated with dependents that can also help. First, the tax code offers a special filing status if you have a dependent and are single or are otherwise not living with a spouse. This is the head of household filing status, and it’s a real no-brainer if you qualify. Bottom line, you’ll owe less in taxes. And if you qualify for the Earned Income Credit (EIC), having a dependent child increases your credit amount. Let’s take a look at the rules for each of these tax breaks. Head of Household Filing Status Filing as head of household gives you a higher standard deduction and lower tax rate than filing as a single person or as married filing separately. To file as head of household: You must be single or have been separated for the last half of the year. You must have a qualifying dependent live with you at least half the year. (Unless it’s a parent: see below.) You must have paid more than half the maintenance costs for the home where you and the dependent lived. The qualifying dependent can be a child or other relative. And if it’s your parent, he or she doesn’t have to live with you for you to claim the head of household status. See Claiming a Parent as a Dependent. Filing as Head of Household When you do your taxes with 1040, filing as head of household is a simple matter of selecting the filing status on our Name & Address screen. Then just add a qualifying dependent, using the Dependent screen. Earned Income Credit The Earned Income Credit (EIC) is especially for lower income taxpayers. It’s popular because it’s refundable, meaning it can give you for a refund. You can qualify if you’re single or married, with or without dependent children. You just have to meet income and certain other requirements. (See Earned Income Credit for full details.) And note that it’s only dependent children who can increase your EIC amount. The child has to be younger than age 19 at the end of the year, or age 24 if a student, or can be any age if disabled. Other dependents have no effect on EIC, but they can still qualify you to file as head of household. Having a dependent child affects EIC in two ways: by letting you earn more and still qualify for the credit, and by increasing the amount of credit you get. First, the higher income levels: First, if you have no qualifying dependent children, the maximum AGI you can have to claim the EIC is $14,340 if you’re a single filer. This includes those who are filing as single, head of household and qualifying widow(er) with dependent child. If you’re married filing joint, the AGI cap is $19,680. If you have only one qualifying child, the AGI cap is $37,870 for single filers, or $43,210 if married filing jointly. If you claim two qualifying children, the AGI cap is $43,038 for single filers, or $48,378 if married filing jointly. If you claim three or more qualifying children, the AGI cap is $46,227 for single filers, or $51,567 if married filing jointly. Now, the increased credit amounts: $487 with no qualifying children $3,250 with one qualifying child $5,372 with two qualifying children $6,044 with three or more qualifying children Note: These are the maximum credit amounts. As your income goes up and gets closer to the relevant maximum, the credit decreases. Claiming EIC So, is it hard to figure out how much credit you qualify for? Nope. We automatically add EIC to your 1040 return when you qualify, and figure out the right amount for you. To make sure you get the maximum amount you qualify for, just make sure you add any qualifying children with the Dependent screen. Other than that, also check Form 8867 – Earned Income Credit Checklist, to see if any of the special situations apply.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 04:20:00 +0000
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