Question

Gary(53) is unmarried. He maintains a home for himself and his daughter. Crystal(19),who lived with Gary all year. Gary’s wife died on June 26,2015.For 2015 he filed joint return. Gary provides more than 50% of crystal’s support. Crystal is not a student. Gary’s income consisted of $21000 wages and $3000 in dividends ;Crystals gross income was $5350

What is the filing status of Gary:

1. Single

2. Married Filing Jointly

3. Married Filing Separately

4. Head of Household

5. Qualifying Widow

Does Gary meet the qualifications for claiming CTC/ACTC or the credit for other dependents:

1. Cheryl is eligible to claim CTC/ACTC

2. Cheryl is eligible for claiming credit for other dependents

3. Cheryl is not eligble for claiming CTC/ACTC or the credit for other dependents

Answer 1

Answer:

2.Married filing jointly.

*If a spouse dies during the year and the surviving spouse does not remarry, for tax purposes the surviving spouse is still considered married to the deceased spouse at the end of the year in which the spouse died.

CTC/ACTC

• Know that for CTC/ACTC:
  • The maximum amount of CTC per qualifying child is $2,000.
  • The refundable part of the credit, ACTC, is worth up to $1,400 for each qualifying child.
  • A qualifying child must have a Social Security Number issued by the Social Security Administration before the due date of your tax return (including extensions).
  • CTC/ACTC begins to decrease in value if your gross incomes exceed $200,000 ($400,000 for Married Filing Jointly).
  • ACTC is not allowed if you or your spouse (if filing a joint return) file a Form 2555 or Form 2555EZ (excluding foreign earned income).

• Know who is a qualifying child for CTC/ACTC. The child must:
  • Be under 17 at the end of the tax year.
  • Meet the relationship and residency tests for uniform definition of a qualifying child, see the Child-Related Tax Benefits Comparison Chart.
  • Not provide more than half of his or her own support for the tax year
  • Have lived with you for more than half the tax year (see Publication 972, Child Tax Credit, for exceptions for birth or death during the year, temporary absences, kidnapped or missing or children of divorced or separated parents)
  • Be claimed as a dependent on your return
  • Not file a joint return for the year (or filed the joint return only to claim a refund of taxes withheld or estimated taxes)
  • Be U.S. citizen, U.S. National or a U.S. resident alien. For more information see Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.
  • Must have a Social Security Number issued by the Social Security Administration before the due date of your tax return (including extensions).

ODC

• Know that for ODC:
  • This is a non-refundable tax credit of up to $500 per qualifying person.
  • The credit begins to decrease in value if your adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 ($400,000 for married filing jointly).

• Know who is a qualifying dependent for ODC. The dependent must be:
  • A dependent claimed on your return.
  • A dependent who can't be claimed for the CTC/ACTC.
  • A U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien. For more information see Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.
  • A dependent is not required to have an SSN. They can have an SSN, ITIN, or ATIN that was issued before the due date of the return (including extensions).

Gary could not claim her daughter because she made too much money ,she was not in school and he was 19.: