Legal text are first understood as their plain meaning. In your case probably the plain meaning of "may" is the option 2 below.
May verb
modal verb: may 1. expressing possibility. "that may be true" used when admitting that something is so before making another, more important point. "they may have been old-fashioned but they were excellent teachers" 2. expressing permission. "may I ask a few questions?" 3. expressing a wish or hope. "may she rest in peace"
1. The main reason to claim a working child as dependent is for single parents to claim head of household status and pay a lower tax rate than single tax payer.
However, if the parents are filing as married filing jointly, there is little reason to file working adult child as dependent, espectially when Trump tax cut took away personal/dependent exemption. But it doesn't hurt things when you claim your child as dependent so you should always include them in your tax return.
2. Here is how dependent child tax filing works: following two things can happen AT THE SAME TIME
(1) a child earning money can be claimed as your dependent on your tax return
(2) that child can file his/her own separate tax return.
Let's say the child made $20,000 during summer job. and the rest of year you paid for her school/living exceeding $20,000, she CAN BE CLAIMED as your dependent.
Now the child has a choice of filing his own separate tax return, or filing his tax with her parents in parent's tax return. Usually the child should file his own separate tax return because 20,000 is taxed at a lower tax rate at her own tax return, than combined with her parent's income and taxed at a higher tax rate.
There is no such term called "filing independently".
Your child can be your dependent filing separately.
It is up to you to claim him as your dependent. Like I said, under Trump tax cut it doesn't help but it doesn't hurt. Your tax bill won't change much but I cannot tell you for sure what other things you might miss if you don't claim him as dependent.
But he should file separately to get lower tax rate. Because if he file jointly with you he takes on your marginal tax rate (the highest tax bracket you pay).
Pay attention to word IRS uses. What you say affects how you think.
Because not all child knows for sure how their parents claim him as dependent. Stop thinking just your special case, think about IRS dealing with all kind of families, conventional or divorced or whatever. The trick is to follow the instruction and don't think too much. IRS has its own reasons, usually pretty damn good reasons to ask you to check a box.
Again, if your child is a student under age of 24, there is no income < 4300 requirement.
However, I can see a reason why first and second round of stimulus skip the dependents of family with income above certain threshold. It could sound unfair for a child of an affluent family to get a stimulus check, if that affluent family is paying everything for this child's school and living expense. On the other hand, if that affluent family says to the kid, you are on your own, take out a student loan and sink or float by yourself, then that child can legitimately claim him NOT a dependent of another person and get that stimulus check.
As for your child, it is up to him to fill out his tax return. I am just share what I think is ethical and legal. I hope you explain to him not just the dollar and cents, but also the big schemes of things and how lucky your family is during the pandemic, both financially and physically.
and thank you for letting me know about this issue. I would not have knew about this.
Hope credit is surely meant for people who has lower income than your family.
Let's say your child goes to school, you can afford to pay his tuition and board but you decide not to. Is your child in the same financial situation as a child from a dirt-poor family?
I think not, becuase you can always change your mind and decides to bail your child out, either because of pandenmic or other reasons. Your child even when he's paying his own way, knows he has a safety net back home. That secure feeling makes all the difference.
Now think you ARE paying your child's financial support, and he still want to claim he "cannot" be claimed as dependent and get that HOPE credit meant for someone who is poorer?
A: may be claimed as a dependent
B: be claimed as a dependent
还不是一回事吧？从数学上讲，B是A的子集。从税法上讲，是不是也这样？
“即使没有被人claimed as dependent, may be claimed as a dependent也是truth” 这个理解对不对？
I don't want to be wrong.
Legal text are first understood as their plain meaning. In your case probably the plain meaning of "may" is the option 2 below.
May
modal verb: may 1. expressing possibility. "that may be true" used when admitting that something is so before making another, more important point. "they may have been old-fashioned but they were excellent teachers" 2. expressing permission. "may I ask a few questions?" 3. expressing a wish or hope. "may she rest in peace"verb
如果大学生独立报税，“ Can be claimed as a dependent ”选择怎么选决定许多benefits.
1040家庭住址之后，有这个checkbox：
Someone can claim: You as a dependent
他can be claimed as dependent是一个客观事实，因为你们资助了他。所以他一定要填yes
至于你们父母到底claim 他与否，是你们的事情。
even dependent can file separate return mainly to get a lower tax rate than file together with patent
1. The main reason to claim a working child as dependent is for single parents to claim head of household status and pay a lower tax rate than single tax payer.
However, if the parents are filing as married filing jointly, there is little reason to file working adult child as dependent, espectially when Trump tax cut took away personal/dependent exemption. But it doesn't hurt things when you claim your child as dependent so you should always include them in your tax return.
2. Here is how dependent child tax filing works: following two things can happen AT THE SAME TIME
(1) a child earning money can be claimed as your dependent on your tax return
(2) that child can file his/her own separate tax return.
Let's say the child made $20,000 during summer job. and the rest of year you paid for her school/living exceeding $20,000, she CAN BE CLAIMED as your dependent.
Now the child has a choice of filing his own separate tax return, or filing his tax with her parents in parent's tax return. Usually the child should file his own separate tax return because 20,000 is taxed at a lower tax rate at her own tax return, than combined with her parent's income and taxed at a higher tax rate.
可是从2020 1040 instruction看，是不是gross income多于4300，就不是dependent？Is Your Qualifying Relative Your Dependent?
必须满足的条件之一：
Who had gross income of less than $4,300 in 2020.
我的理解，反过来，多于4300就不是dependent。
搞不明白如果总收入多于4300，但没有自供50%以上花销，能不能不check 1040 表的如下问题？
Someone can claim: You as a dependent
如果是dependent 但不是qualified child，每人有500 credit。
Step 1 is qualified child, who is under 19 or student under 24. Step 1 is for "children under certain age".
Step 1 has no income limits. Your child under 19 (or student under 24) can earn million dollar as movie star and he/she could still be your depedent.
Step 4 is for qualified relative, without age requirement, so step 4 is for "adult children" as qualified relative, but not qualified child.
Step 4 has income limits. Which means your adult children cannot be your dependent if they earn more than $4300.
Hope this helps.
There is no such term called "filing independently".
Your child can be your dependent filing separately.
It is up to you to claim him as your dependent. Like I said, under Trump tax cut it doesn't help but it doesn't hurt. Your tax bill won't change much but I cannot tell you for sure what other things you might miss if you don't claim him as dependent.
But he should file separately to get lower tax rate. Because if he file jointly with you he takes on your marginal tax rate (the highest tax bracket you pay).
Pay attention to word IRS uses. What you say affects how you think.
如果是可以作为dependent的大学生，自己报税：父母没有claim他/她 as dependent时，自己报税（as single）要不要check
Someone can claim: You as a dependent
Because not all child knows for sure how their parents claim him as dependent. Stop thinking just your special case, think about IRS dealing with all kind of families, conventional or divorced or whatever. The trick is to follow the instruction and don't think too much. IRS has its own reasons, usually pretty damn good reasons to ask you to check a box.
Again, if your child is a student under age of 24, there is no income < 4300 requirement.
If checked，lots of benefits lost: i.e. Hope credit becomes non refundable .
所以税法挺严谨的。
明白了。所以没有loop hole。这个要check，不管有没有人claim
First, the third round of stimulus under Biden finallly do away with dependent check. So that's good news for your child.
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/10/adult-dependents-eligible-for-stimulus-payments.html
However, I can see a reason why first and second round of stimulus skip the dependents of family with income above certain threshold. It could sound unfair for a child of an affluent family to get a stimulus check, if that affluent family is paying everything for this child's school and living expense. On the other hand, if that affluent family says to the kid, you are on your own, take out a student loan and sink or float by yourself, then that child can legitimately claim him NOT a dependent of another person and get that stimulus check.
As for your child, it is up to him to fill out his tax return. I am just share what I think is ethical and legal. I hope you explain to him not just the dollar and cents, but also the big schemes of things and how lucky your family is during the pandemic, both financially and physically.
and thank you for letting me know about this issue. I would not have knew about this.
从您给的这个link 看，大学生dependent 还是跟父母收入挂钩的，如果父母拿不到，孩子还是拿不到的。比前两轮有改进，前两轮时，即使父母拿得到，但大学生孩子是没有的。
Hope credit is surely meant for people who has lower income than your family.
Let's say your child goes to school, you can afford to pay his tuition and board but you decide not to. Is your child in the same financial situation as a child from a dirt-poor family?
I think not, becuase you can always change your mind and decides to bail your child out, either because of pandenmic or other reasons. Your child even when he's paying his own way, knows he has a safety net back home. That secure feeling makes all the difference.
Now think you ARE paying your child's financial support, and he still want to claim he "cannot" be claimed as dependent and get that HOPE credit meant for someone who is poorer?
I'll let you decide.
This round (third) has money for dependent adults, but the taxpayers (parents) has to meet the income requirement.
And the third round has more stringent income requirement than first two rounds, thanks to Joe Machin of West Virginia.
So it is unlikely your college student child would see anything if you don't qualify for third round.
所以只有一种填法合法。:)
有些时候要想一下立法者的意图，而不是仅仅看逻辑语法