Can my parents (or somebody else) claim me as a dependent on their tax return?

If you're younger than age 19 or a student younger than age 24, your parents (or somebody else) may be eligible to claim you as a dependent. It's usually an overall tax advantage for parents (or somebody else) to claim you as a dependent because the person claiming you usually has higher income and will get more tax benefit from tax credits such as the education credits, the Child Tax Credit, or the Credit for Other Dependents.

If you're age 19 or older, or a student age 24 or older, then no one can claim you as a dependent if your gross income was $5,200 or more.