RUMOR: The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to children born to parents illegally in the U.S. Critics argue that automatic birthright citizenship could be changed by revoking the statute. Others say it would require a constitutional amendment because they believe the 14th Amendment requires birthright citizenship.
Answer: Each child can only be claimed as a dependent by one parent (except when married couples file taxes jointly). Typically, in the case of divorced, separated, or never married parents, it is the custodial parent who is legally able to claim a child as a dependent for tax purposes.
Youâre correct that the dependent canât claim a personal exemption if eligible to be claimed by their parents. However, if the parents choose not to claim the child as a dependent the child can take the education credits. In that case neither the parents or the child claim a dependency exemption for the child.his is an important distinction because itâs an either/or situation in terms of who gets the tax break. If the parent claims the education tax deduction or credit, then the child (in this case, the dependent) canât claim it.