Qualifying Dependent Child

• You qualify as a dependent child if you are still living at home and you are under the age of 19. In this case, your parent may still claim you as a dependent on his taxes whether you are on his insurance or not. If you are between the ages of 19 and 24 and attend college as a full-time student at least five months out of the year, you also can be claimed as a dependent.
  
  

Meeting the Qualifications

• If you decide to file as a dependent, be sure you fit the basic criteria of a qualified dependent. A qualified dependent must be a son or daughter, stepchild, foster child, full or half-sibling or descendant of a child or sibling. Additionally, the qualifying dependent must be younger than the taxpayer claiming him as a dependent, and the dependent child cannot file a joint tax return for the year.
  
  

Other Qualified Dependents

• Once you pass the qualifying age for dependent status, you may still be classified as a dependent in certain cases. If you have a gross income less than $3,400 annually and your parent provided more than half your total support during the year, you may be listed as a dependent. Support includes the cost of food and lodging in addition to transportation, clothing, school and medical care, including medical insurance coverage. In this case, you can be claimed as a dependent even if you do not live with your parent.
  
  

Exclusions

• There are some caveats to be aware of even if you are on a parent's insurance and meet the standard qualification requirements. For example, if you claim a dependent such as a dependent child on your own taxes, no one else can list you as a dependent on their taxes. Additionally, if you are named as a dependent on one parent's taxes, you cannot be listed as a dependent on the other parent's taxes simultaneously.