Who Claims A Child On Taxes With 50/50 Custody

The big question for the day is, who claims a child on taxes with 50/50 custody? The fact is, It’s worth claiming dependents if you’re entitled to, but it cant be so easy as there are laws guiding that policy. The parent who qualifies as the “custodial parent” under federal tax law is the one who claims the children as dependents.

The IRS has instituted a series of tiebreaker rules to decide who can claim a child’s taxes. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act repealed personal exemptions from the tax code from 2018 through at least 2025. The IRS explains, “Generally, the custodial parent is the parent with whom the child lived for a longer period during the year.”

Can I claim my child?

Yes, you can; according to The IRS law, the parent who qualifies as the “custodial parent” under federal tax law is the one who claims the children as dependents. Generally, the custodial parent is the parent with whom the child lived for a longer period during the year.

Who Can Claim a Child as a Dependent?

To claim child tax dependence, the child must be younger than you and under 19 years old or a. student younger than 24 years old at the end of the calendar year. The IRS doesn’t impose an age limit for children who are permanently disabled or meet the relative qualifying test.

Can both Parents claim The child on taxes?

In general, only one parent can claim their child’s tax return; however, if both spouses file a joint return, they may share that child’s tax benefits. But if they remain married and file a separate tax return, only one may claim half of the child tax credit.

Who Claims a Child on Taxes With 50/50 Custody?

Generally, IRS rules state that “a child is the qualifying child of the custodial parent and the custodial parent may claim the child as a dependent.” The custodial parent is the parent who has physical custody of the child for the majority of the year.

What Happens when parents have a 50/50 Custody split?

It’s important to note that parents can’t divide their claim to a dependent for tax purposes. Instead, the IRS applies a tiebreaker rule and gives the right to claim the dependent to the parent who has the child longer. This rule applies whether the parents are unmarried, separated, or divorced. For instance, in one year (365 days), a parent who has custody of the child for at least 183 days is entitled to claim the child’s tax dependence.

What If the Child Spends 182.5 Days of The year with Each Parent?

In that scenario, the IRS applies a second rule that precedes the parent with the higher adjusted gross income (AGI). This means, however, that the parent with the right to claim the child as a dependent in the eyes of the IRS could change from year to year.

Parents Can Decide Who Will Claim a Child on Tax Returns

When deciding which parent has the legal right to claim the child, the IRS will usually allow the claim for the parent with whom the child lived for a longer period during the year.

What Happens If Both Parents Claim the Same Child on Taxes?

If both parents are not separated and file for child tax, then the IRS will decide who gets the claim, and it usually goes to the spouse that lived the most year with the child and paid other legal fees. Detecting who claims the child on taxes with 50/50 custody could be difficult.

What Credits Are Available For Parents to Claim?

Raising a child is pricey, and that’s why there are other credits for parents to claim, which includes

• Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: This is for those that paid for child care while searching for a job. You can claim the child and dependent care tax credit on your tax return.
• Child Tax Credit (CTC): The CTC is a tax credit that provides a significant financial benefit to Americans with children. For 2020, the IRS allowed you to claim up to $2,000 per child under the age of 17
• Earned Income Tax Credit: The EITC is designed to help reduce poverty and encourage work participation for low- to moderate-income taxpayers.
• Education Tax Credit: The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) is a tax credit available to parents who paid qualified education expenses for their kid’s first four years of college, including tuition fees and course materials.

Benefits of claiming dependents on taxes

It’s not easy raising a child and providing that child with all the basic things he/she may need. The IRS provides parents with several tax exemptions and credits to assist with the expense of raising a child. This is particularly important for divorced parents who are responsible for raising a child.

• Dependent Care Credit – for parents who must pay daycare or babysitting costs for children under 13 while they are working or looking for work
• Head of Household – for parents who pay for more than half of the household expenses and have at least one dependent
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – for parents with low-paying jobs who need to claim for earned income tax credit
• Child Tax Credit –for parents with a child of 16 years or younger and who need to claim for expenses beyond those permitted by the Dependent Care Credit benefit

Reference:

• thebalance
• romper
• griffithslawpc

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