The "Kiddie" Tax or How Children Are Taxed

Children are subject to income taxes just like their parents. However, there are some special rules that apply and some of them can get complicated. This is commonly called the “Kiddie” Tax. This article provides some general information, but you may want to consult your tax advisor to better understand how your children are being taxed.

The General Rule
Generally, children are treated as a separate taxpayers and their income is taxed at the same marginal rates as their parents. The tax table used to calculate their tax is the single filer table. The lowest rate is 10% and the rates rise to 35% (for 2011) for the highest levels of income.

Special Rules

If a child has a job, their earned income is taxed regularly. In fact, the first $5,800 is usually tax free (by taking advantage of the standard deduction). Then income is taxed at the child's marginal bracket, usually 10%. Even if the child has less than $5,800 of earned income, a tax return may still be necessary to get a refund of any taxes that were withheld at their job.

If the child has unearned income from interest, dividends or capital gains, the rules get a bit more difficult. If the child meets any of the three criteria described above, the first $950 of unearned income is not taxed and the next $950 is taxed at the child's tax rate. All the unearned income above $1900 is taxed to the child, but at the parent's tax rates.


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