Question
College Student With Income W-2 -(12K) Residency issue and Parent claiming issue.
Hi everyone,
I'm working with a client who has a 23-year-old college student in their final year, attending school out of state (PA) but whose home state is New Jersey. The student previously worked in PA, where she is currently attending college.
The mother's income was $25,000 last year, and while the student has a full room and board scholarship, the mother assists with out-of-pocket expenses. My challenge is determining the correct residency state. I’ve filed separately, including the student's income and the mother claiming her as a dependent, but I am running into issues with the residency state.
Should I advise the mother not to claim the student as a dependent and instead file the student's return as single and not claimed as a dependent? Additionally, for state income tax purposes, should I use Pennsylvania, where the student works and attends college, as her state of residency? I'm unable to move forward without clarifying this issue.
Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
