If you are an unmarried dependent student, you must file a tax return if your earned and / or
unearned income exceeds certain limits.
If the gain is too large and the child's
unearned income exceeds $ 2,100, you'll end up paying tax at 15 % on the gain, rather than the zero percent rate that is applicable for most children.
For dependents, you must file if
your unearned income exceeds $ 1,050, your minimum earned income exceeds $ 6,350 or your total income exceeds the larger of $ 1,050 or your earned income plus $ 350.
Your child will need to file their own 2017 return if
either unearned income exceeds the $ 1,050 threshold or earned income exceeds the $ 6,350 threshold, or if the total of unearned and earned income is more than the larger of $ 1,050 or the child's earned income (up to $ 6,000) plus $ 350.
Not exact matches
If the only
income a child receives in a tax year is from
unearned sources and
exceeds $ 950, a separate tax return must be filed for the child.
On the other hand, $ 600 in earned
income and $ 600 in
unearned income would trigger the filing requirement because the combined
income of $ 1,200
exceeds the combined
income threshold of $ 1,050.
As of 2017, if someone else claims you as a dependent, you can't claim exemption from withholding if your
income exceeds $ 1,050 and includes more than $ 350 of
unearned income.
Under the Kiddy Tax, the
unearned income of certain children that
exceeds $ 2,000 (adjusted annually) is taxable at the parent's, rather than child's marginal tax rate.
The Kiddie Tax is applied to the amount of your child's
unearned income that
exceeds $ 2,100.
Higher -
income taxpayers should be aware that they may be subject to an additional 3.8 % Medicare
unearned income tax on net investment
income (
unearned income includes dividends) if their adjusted gross
income exceeds $ 200,000 (single filers) or $ 250,000 (married joint filers).