Are Children Still Dependents After They Turn 17?

Each year, parents can claim a child tax credit for each of their children who is under 17. This is a valuable credit, worth up to $2,200 for each child 16 years old or younger for the 2025 tax year. If you have a 15-year-old and a 10-year-old, then you could claim a combined tax credit of up to $4,400. (These figures may change year by year.)

Unfortunately, parents can only receive this tax credit for children who are 16 years old or younger. You might qualify for a smaller $500 tax credit for children who are 17 or older, the tax credit for other dependents.

What is the tax credit for other dependents?

Taxpayers can claim this tax credit of $500 for any person they list as a dependent on their income tax returns. That includes children 17 or older. Parents, for example, often list their children as dependents when they are at college or when they are still living at home and first establishing their careers. 

To claim a child as a dependent for this tax credit, the child must be under 19 at the end of the tax year in which you are claiming them. If they are a full-time college student, they must be under 24 at the end of the tax year.

A qualifying child must be your child, stepchild or foster child and they must live with you for more than half the year, unless they are attending college. They must not provide more than half of their own financial support for the tax year.

What is a qualifying relative?

If your child doesn’t count as a qualifying child under the IRS rules, you might still be able to claim a son or daughter as a dependent under the qualifying relative rules. There is no age limit for qualifying relatives, making this an option for parents whose children are older than 19. 

You can’t claim a child as both a qualifying child and a qualifying relative. To claim an older child as a qualifying relative, that person must be your child, stepchild, foster child or grandchild. This child’s gross income for the 2025 tax year must be less than $5,200, and you must provide more than half of the child’s financial support for the year.

These rules might seem complicated, and this isn’t the whole story. The point is that if you are supporting an older child, navigating these rules can be worthwhile: If your child qualifies, you will get at least a small financial break on your income taxes. Be sure to discuss your family situation with your tax advisor.

©YC Partners 2026