The dependent's birth certificate, and if needed, the birth and marriage certificates of any individuals, including yourself, that prove the dependent is related to you. For an adopted dependent, send an adoption decree or proof the child was lawfully placed with you or someone related to you for legal adoption.
Qualifying child Age: Be under age 19 or under 24 if a full-time student, or any age if permanently and totally disabled. Residency: Live with you for more than half the year, with some exceptions. Support: Get more than half their financial support from you.
As long as your child still relies on you for financial support, their employment status won't affect your ability to claim them as dependent.
The child must be: (a) under age 19 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), (b) under age 24 at the end of the year, a full- time student, and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or (c) any age if permanently and totally disabled.
A person cannot be claimed as a dependent unless that person is a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico, for some part of the year. (There is an exception for certain adopted children.) A dependent must be either a qualifying child or qualifying relative.
The rule is that if someone ``can'' claim you as a dependent, you must check the box. It is not, did or will someone claim you as a dependent. There is nothing that requires your parents to claim you as a dependent if you qualify, they will just be giving up a $500 credit (potentially).
If you want to get close to withholding your exact tax obligation, then claim 2 allowances for both you and your spouse, and then claim allowances for however many dependents you have (so if you have 2 dependents, you'd want to claim 4 allowances to get close to withholding your exact tax obligation).
Make sure your dependent meets the IRS requirements. Generally, the IRS requires that the child is under the age of 19 (or under 24 if a full-time student), lives with you for more than half the year, and does not provide more than half of their own financial support.