Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an age limit to claim my child as a dependent?

To claim your child as your dependent, your child must meet either the Qualifying Child Test or the Qualifying Relative Test.

  • In order to take the qualifying child exam, your child must be younger than you and by the end of the calendar year, either under the age of 19 or a student and under the age of 24, or any age if you are permanently and totally disabled.
  • There is no age limit to claim your child as a dependent if the child meets the qualifying relative test. In addition to completing the qualifying child or qualifying relative test, you can claim a dependency exemption for your child as long as all of the following tests are met: 1. Dependent taxpayer test 2. Citizen or resident test, and 3. Joint return test



Do I need to file a return?

The minimum income amount depends on your filing status and age: Single filing status:

  • 12400 if under age 65
  • 14050 if age 65 or older
Married filing jointly:
  • 24800 if both spouses under age 65
  • 26100 if one spouse under age 65 and one age 65 or older
  • 27400 if both spouses age 65 or older
Married filing separately
  • $5 for all ages
Head of household:
  • 18650 if under age 65
  • 20300 if age 65 or older
Qualifying widow(er) with dependent child:
  • 24800 if under age 65
  • 26100 if age 65 or older
If your income is below that threshold, you generally do not need to file a federal tax return. However...you must file a return if you had self-employment income paid on 1099-MISC form.



Can my full-time college student be claimed as my dependent and still file their own return?

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. You may be able to claim them as a dependent even if they file their own return. Be aware that if your student meets any of the requirements below, they must file their own return:

  • They have more than $1,100 of unearned income
  • They earn more than $12,400



Can I receive a tax refund if I am currently making payments under an installment agreement or payment plan for a prior year's federal taxes?

Generally, no. A condition of your installment agreement is that the IRS will automatically apply any refund due to you against taxes you owe. If your refund exceeds your total balance due on all outstanding liabilities including accruals, you will receive a refund of the amount over and above what you owe.



To qualify for head of household filing status, do I have to claim my child as a dependent?

In certain circumstances, you do not have to claim your child as a dependent to qualify for head of household filing status; for example, a custodial parent may be able to claim head of household filing status even if he or she released a claim to exemption for the child.



What should I do if I made a mistake on my federal return that I have already filed?

It depends on the type of mistake you made:

  • Many mathematical errors are caught during the processing of the tax return and corrected by the IRS, so you may not need to correct these mistakes.
  • If you did not attach a required schedule or form, the IRS will contact you and ask for the missing information.
  • If you did not claim the correct filing status or you need to change your income, deductions, or credits, you should file an amended or corrected return using Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.



I retired last year, and started receiving social security payments. Do I have to pay taxes on my social security benefits?

Social security benefits include monthly retirement, survivor and disability benefits. They do not include supplemental security income (SSI) payments, which are not taxable. The amount of social security benefits that must be included on your income tax return and used to calculate your income tax liability depends on the total amount of your income and benefits for the taxable year.To find out whether any of your benefits may be taxable, compare the base amount for your filing status with the total of:

  • One-half of your benefits.
  • All of your other income, including tax-exempt interest.
The base amount for your filing status is:
  • $25,000 if you are single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er),
  • $25,000 if you are married filing separately and lived apart from your spouse for the entire year,
  • $32,000 if you are married filing jointly,
  • $0 if you are married filing separately and lived with your spouse at any time during the tax year. If you are married and file a joint return, you and your spouse must combine your incomes and social security benefits when figuring the taxable portion of your benefits. Even if your spouse did not receive any benefits, you must add your spouse's income to yours when figuring on a joint return if any of your benefits are taxable.



If the custodial parent releases a claim to exemption for a child by signing a Form 8332, Release/Revocation of Release of Claim to Exemption for Child by Custodial Parent, or a substantially similar statement, may the noncustodial parent claim the child as a qualifying child for the earned income credit?

Generally, no. The noncustodial parent may not claim a child as a qualifying child for the earned income credit based on the custodial parent’s release of a claim to exemption for the child.

  • The custodial parent may be able to claim the child as a qualifying child for the earned income credit if the residency test and all the other requirements are met.
Note: For income tax purposes, the custodial parent is, generally, the parent with whom the child lives for the greater number of nights during the year.



What Types of payments do you accept?

We accept the following payment methods:

  • Cash
  • Checks
  • Credit/Debit
  • Venmo
  • Zelle
  • PayPal
  • Google Pay
  • Apple Pay
  • Samsung Pay



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