<p>Claiming the kid as a dependent only means you get the exemption. It doesn’t change the rate the kid’s income is taxed at. Either way the kid has to file their own return. With the kid not being able to claim their own exemption and getting a lower standard deduction since they can be claimed by someone else, and with a “good income” it would depend on the particular numbers I would think. How good is the kid’s half year income vs. the parent’s income? It would be relatively easy to check each scenario with a tax program.</p>