No. You can only claim someone 18 years of age or older as an eligible dependant if they have an impairment in physical or mental functions (disability).

So it doesn't matter that they were 17 for half the year? Were high school students until June and turned 18 in June 2023?? Sorry, I just want to make sure I'm entering everyrhing correctly.

Also, does TurboTax recognize that they are over 18 when I put in their birth date?

Yes, TurboTax will calculate the age of the child from the birthdate. If the child was under 18 during the year, you can still apply for the eligible dependant credit.

Sorry, but the first response seems to suggest that if the child turned 18 in calendar 2023 I cannot claim her.   The second suggests, to me, that you can make the claim.   Can you resolve this please?   My child turned 18 December 19, 2023.

@Holmium TurboTax will calculate the age of the child from the birthdate that you enter. If the child was under 18 during the year, you can still apply for the eligible dependant credit.

Just to confirm, you can still claim the child as dependent even if the child turned 18 within the taxation year? 

Yes, TurboTax will calculate the age of the child from the birthdate. If the child was under 18 during the year, you can still apply for the eligible dependant credit.

Hi Susan, I'm having a dispute with CRA about claiming my son for the Amount for an Eligible Dependent on my 2024 taxes. He turned 18 in February of 2024, and the CRA agent I spoke with after I received a review letter for the claim is saying I can not make any claim for the year even though he was 17 for part of the year. Can you tell me which reference materials I can refer to in my argument with them? Turbo Tax automatically calculated the claim for me based on me entering his age in the dependents area. I'm  hoping to also support my arguments with legislation or specific mention of the rules related to eligibility in the year a dependent turns 18.

@ScottBrayshaw I'm not a tax expert, so I can’t really provide much guidance. However I can point out that on the CRA’s own website, they make the statement: “You may be able to claim the amount for an eligible dependant if, at any time in the year, you supported an eligible dependant and met certain conditions.”

Line 30400 – Amount for an eligible dependant

Schedule 5 - Amounts for Spouse or Common-Law Partner and Dependants (for all)

Also, their little quiz to determine eligibility doesn’t ask if the child was 18 all year, just if the dependant that was supported “was your child, grandchild, brother, or sister (by blood, marriage, common-law partnership, or adoption) and under 18 years of age or had an impairment in physical or mental functions”.

Can you claim an amount for an eligible dependant?