What to Claim on My Taxes With a Family
Children and Relatives as Dependents
If you back up children, relatives, or not-relatives, such as a girlfriend or beau's child, and so y'all may exist able to merits them as dependents on your tax return. Non sure if someone qualifies equally your dependent? See our free and simple dependent calculator to find out.
What is a Dependent for Tax Purposes?
A dependent on an income tax return is someone who is your IRS qualifying child or IRS qualifying relative. In lodge to claim a dependent on your revenue enhancement return, your dependent needs to fall into one of these two categories. If you tin claim a qualifying child or qualifying relative on your tax return, you may qualify for additional tax benefits including:
- Head of Household filing status
- Child Tax Creditor the $500 non-refundable Credit for Other Dependents
- Credit for Child and Dependent Care Expenses
- Higher Earned Income Credit
- Exclusion from income of dependent intendance benefits.
Tax Tip: Tax credits can either exist refundable or nonrefundable. Refundable tax credits are direct payments to you while nonrefundable tax credits merely serve to decrease your tax liability.
If someone qualifies as your dependent, you lot are entitled to merits them on your revenue enhancement render unless you or your spouse qualify equally a dependent for some other person. If someone else can merits y'all (or your spouse, if filing jointly) as a dependent, whether or not they actually claim you, then you are not immune to merits any dependents of your own.
You can claim a person as your dependent if all 3 of these statements are true:
- They are a U.Southward. citizen, U.Southward. national, resident alien, or resident of Canada or Mexico. In that location is an exception for legally adopted children.
- They are non married and filing jointly, unless the joint return is merely a merits for a tax refund and in that location would be no taxes owed by either spouse if they filed separate returns.
- They are a qualifying child or a qualifying relative, co-ordinate to the IRS rules.
Qualifying Kid
If a person is your qualifying kid according to the IRS requirements, so y'all can merits that person every bit your dependent. A qualifying child must be related to you, but they do non have to actually be your child.
A child whom you legally adopt is always considered your child. If you adopted a child who is not a U.S. citizen, U.Due south. national, or resident alien, they tin nevertheless qualify every bit your dependent if they lived with you for the unabridged yr. If a child was placed with y'all for a pending legal adoption, they are considered to be your adopted child for the purposes of challenge a dependent.
See the qualifying child requirements OR respond a few simple questions on our DEPENDucator tax tool below to find out if you tin can merits a qualifying child dependent!
Find out if your child is a dependent now!
Qualifying Relative
If someone meets the IRS requirements to exist your qualifying relative, you may merits them equally a dependent. A qualifying relative does non have to really be related to y'all, equally long as they lived with you all twelvemonth and they see other requirements.
See the qualifying relative requirements OR use our RELucator tax tool beneath. Answer a few simple questions and the tool volition have your answer if you can claim a qualifying relative dependent!
Find out if your relative (or other person) is a dependent at present!
When Two or More People Merits a Dependent
Generally, only one taxpayer (or married couple filing jointly) may merits whatsoever one person as a dependent. The taxation benefits for challenge a dependent cannot be dissever, unless it is detailed in a divorce decree. If two or more than taxpayers claim the aforementioned person as a dependent, the IRS volition utilise a prepare of tiebreaker rules to determine who has the legitimate claim.
In the case of divorced parents, the custodial parent usually has the right to claim the child as a dependent. The custodial parent may release this claim, allowing the not-custodial parent to claim the child, past attaching a written argument or Course 8332, Release of Merits to Exemption for Child by Custodial Parent. If y'all need to file this form, you can prepare your render on eFile.com, print it, and mail it to the IRS and include the Form 8332. If yous need to eFileIT Class 2120, Multiple Back up Agreement, you can hands add this form to your return and this form can be due east-filed with your return. Form 2120 is an agreement between two or more taxpayers who share in the responsibility of caring for someone (commonly an elderly or disabled relative) or who provide financial back up for the same dependent, to permit the two taxpayers to take turns claiming the dependent.
Detect out more about the tiebreaker rules for more than one person challenge a dependent.
How to Claim Dependents on Your Revenue enhancement Return
You tin claim dependents when y'all set up your tax return on eFile.com. Based on your answers to several tax questions, we will select the correct forms and schedules for you to report your dependents. It's that piece of cake!
Earlier you lot brainstorm, make sure that you have admission to your dependents' Social Security cards because you volition demand to enter their names and Social Security Numbers exactly as they appear on the cards. If your dependent does not accept a SSN, so an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN) is adequate.
More Dependent Related Information
- Claim a qualifying child
- Claim a qualifying relative
- Both divorced parents claim the same dependent
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Source: https://www.efile.com/claiming-qualifying-dependents-as-tax-return-deductions/