Can I claim a non-child relative as a dependent?
Yes. To claim this family member, he or she must meet these requirements to be a Qualifying Child or Qualifying Relative:
Under the qualifying child rules:
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- Your qualifying dependent must live with you for more than half the year.
- The qualifying dependent must be one of these:
- Under age 19 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse if married filing jointly)
- Under age 24 at the end of the tax year and younger than you (or your spouse if married filing jointly)
- Permanently and totally disabled
- The qualifying dependent can’t have provided more than half of his or her own support.
Under the qualifying relative rules:
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- Not qualify as somebody else’s qualifying child or qualifying relative
- Live with you the entire year (365 days) or be one of these:
- Your child, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of any of them
- Your brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, or stepsister or a descendant of any of them
- Your father, mother, grandparent, or stepparent, but not a foster parent
- Your son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law
- Your uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece
- Earn less than $4,300
- Receive more than half of his or her support for the year from you
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To claim a dependent, these must also be true:
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- He or she can only have filed jointly with his or her spouse to claim a refund of the taxes withheld. Also, if he or she were to have filed separately from his or her spouse, neither would have owed taxes.
- The dependent is one of these:
- U.S. citizen
- U.S. resident alien
- U.S. national
- Resident of Canada or Mexico
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You can’t qualify as a dependent on someone else’s return. This is true even if the other person doesn’t claim you on his or her return.
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