Sometimes we’re so busy growing up that we forget they’re growing old.
Everyone knows that claiming a dependent on your income tax return can get you a significantly larger refund. For every dependent you claim on your taxes you can claim an extra personal exemption. That’s a large chunk of change you can deduct from your income, thus reducing your tax burden.
But who exactly can you claim? Are you eligible to claim your parents as dependents?
When it comes to taxes there are actually two different types of dependents: qualifying children and qualifying relatives.
Obviously, you can’t claim your parents as qualifying children. So the question becomes, do they meet the requirements for qualifying relatives?
Is your parent a qualifying relative for tax purposes?
In order to claim someone as a qualifying relative they must:
- Have lived with you all year as a member of your household, or be one of the following family members: child, parent, sibling, stepparent, stepchild, step-sibling, half sibling, grandparent, grandchild, child-in-law, parent-in-law, sibling-in-law, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew
- Be a U.S. citizen or resident, or a resident of Canada or Mexico
- Be unmarried, or married but not filing a joint return
- Not be a qualifying child of you or someone else
- Have a gross income of less than $4,000
- Have more than half of their total support for the year provided by you
In plain English, this means that yes you can claim a parent as a dependent but they have to meet the above requirements.
Are Social Security Benefits included?
As a general rule, Social Security benefits are not included in gross income. For more information about Social Security and Disability benefits, check out our other article, “Claiming Parents as Dependents If They Receive Social Security Benefits“. Be sure to make sure they are tax-exempt, because this could determine your eligibility to claim them as a dependent.
When determining if you provided over 50% of a parent’s total support, be sure to consider
- lodging
- food expenses
- utilities
- repairs
- household expenses
- clothing
- education
- medical and dental expenses
- travel
- recreation expenses
If you support a parent who meets all of the requirements listed above be sure to claim them when you file online this season!
My dad lives with me, I pay rent, groceries, and utility bills. He only gets about $260 from disability and social security combined. He does not work and at times he helps me pay utility bills when he has extra money. I am the one that pays for the expenses at home. If I
claim him will that affect his benefits?
Hello,
Claiming your father as a dependent should not have any negative effects on his benefits that he is receiving.
Hi,
my father gets disability every month, I stay with him and I wanted to know if I could carry him on my taxes. I help him with everything financial wise. I am married but I file separate because me and my husband are separated.
Hi Danielle,
An individual must meet all of the following requirements in order to be considered your “Qualifying Relative”:
1. The relative cannot be your “Qualifying Child” and cannot be claimed by someone else.
2. The person must either have lived with you for the entire year as a member of the household (a person who is not actually related to you may meet the requirements in this way), or be related to you in one of the following ways: your child, stepchild, grandchild or other descendant of one of your children (or stepchildren or foster children), son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, parent, stepfather, stepmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandparent, and, if related by blood, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew.
3. The person must have made less than $3,950 in gross income during 2014.
4. You must have provided more than half of the individual’s total support during the year.
My mother has lived with us over half the year. She receives SS benefits. She receives a SSA 1099 because they pull out federal. She files every year & gets it all back on her return. Can I still Claim her as a dependent & my mom file her SSA 1099?
Hi Callie,
An individual must meet all of the following requirements in order to be considered your “Qualifying Relative”:
1. The relative cannot be your “Qualifying Child” and cannot be claimed by someone else.
2. The person must either have lived with you for the entire year as a member of the household (a person who is not actually related to you may meet the requirements in this way), or be related to you in one of the following ways: your child, stepchild, grandchild or other descendant of one of your children (or stepchildren or foster children), son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, parent, stepfather, stepmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, grandparent, and, if related by blood, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew.
3. The person must have made less than $3,950 in gross income during 2014.
4. You must have provided more than half of the individual’s total support during the year.
can i claim my nephew if he mother got ssi and he has ssi with his mother too
Hi Tracy,
In order to claim a child as your dependent, that dependent needs to meet every requirement listed on the IRS’ website to be considered a “Qualifying Child”.
Hi. I live with my father and my sisters. My dad receives SSI for him and my sister. I help take care of my father and sisters by housekeeping, cooking all meals, doing the laundry, and cleaning. My father pays the household bills with his SSI. Could I claim my younger sister on my taxes since my dad isn’t filing taxes or would that affect the SSI he received for her?
Hi Heather,
A child must meet all of the following requirements in order to be considered your Qualifying Child.
1. The child must be your daughter, son, stepdaughter, stepson, foster child, sister, brother, half-sister, half-brother, stepsister, stepbrother, or a descendant of any of these, such as a niece or nephew.
2. The child must be one of the following:
a. Under the age of 19 on the last day of the year and younger than you (and your spouse if filing jointly)
b. A full-time student under the age of 24 on the last day of the year and younger than you (and your spouse if filing jointly)
c. Permanently disabled at any time during the year, regardless of their age
3. The child must have not provided more than half of his or her own support for the year (regardless of who did provide the support). Support includes food, actual or fair rental value of housing, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, and recreation.
4. The child must have lived with you for more than half of the year, except for temporary absences.
5. The child must not file a joint tax return for the year (if he or she is married).
6. If they could be a qualifying child for more than one person, you must be the person who is entitled to claim the child.