Should i be claimed

Navigating Family Trusts and Taxes. Video: Tax Tips for a New Baby. Estimate your tax refund and where you stand Get started. See if you qualify for a third stimulus check and how much you can expect Get started. Easily calculate your tax rate to make smart financial decisions Get started.

Estimate your self-employment tax and eliminate any surprises Get started. Know what dependents credits and deductions you can claim Get started. Know what tax documents you'll need upfront Get started. Learn what education credits and deductions you qualify for and claim them on your tax return Get started. The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice.

Skip To Main Content. Why claim someone as a dependent? Dependent rules also apply to other benefits: such as the Earned Income Tax Credit the Child and Dependent Care Credit for daycare expenses medical expenses , various other itemized deductions and most tax credits that involve children or family issues Qualifying for these benefits can spell the difference between owing money and receiving a refund.

Who qualifies as a dependent? Are they a citizen or resident? The person must be a U. Many people wonder if they can claim a foreign-exchange student who temporarily lives with them. The answer is maybe, but only if they meet this requirement.

Are you the only person claiming them as a dependent? If your dependent is claimed on your tax return, they may still be required to file an income tax return of their own.

The requirements vary by filing status and age. If you have a dependent child who earned income by performing services, this income is included in your dependent's gross income and must be reported on his or her individual tax return. This is true even if a local law states that a child's parent has the right the claim the earnings and even received the earnings because of this ruling.

Please be aware that you should NOT include your dependent's income as income on your own tax return. Your dependent has to report their income on their own tax return.

In addition, your dependent needs to check a box on his or her own tax return to report that he or she can be claimed as a dependent on somebody else's tax return. If your dependent fails to do this, it might cause the IRS to reject your return when you attempt to efile it. Your dependent might need to file a return if one of the special reasons to file a tax return applies to them.

For example, if they bought health insurance from the Marketplace , they need to file a return in order to claim the refundable Premium Tax Credit. Your dependent can file a return if they want to, even if they do not have to. If it is possible that they will receive a tax refund , they should file a return in order to claim the refund. If your dependent wants to find out if they will be getting a refund or will owe taxes, they can use our Free Tax Calculator.

However, the best way to determine whether or not they will receive a refund is to start preparing a tax return on eFile. Start Your Tax Return Now! Your student may need to file a return if they meet the IRS filing requirements. Additional Information. Whom May I Claim as a Dependent? If you file your tax return and someone else has already claimed your dependent, then the IRS will apply the tiebreaker rules - see details below. To avoid any of this conflict, utilize the eFile.

TaxTip : This is a good reason to e-File early. After a return claiming a particular dependent is accepted, any subsequent return that is electronically filed claiming the dependent will be rejected by the IRS. However, having an IRS accepted return with a dependent is not a confirmation that this taxpayer is qualified to claim this dependent.

In other words, if you e-Filed your return with the dependents listed on your return, anybody else efiling their return after you claiming the same dependent s will have their return rejected. However, if another return claiming the same dependent s is filed manually mailed in , then the IRS will apply the tie-breaker rules see details below.

There may be an exception when the splitting of tax benefits for a dependent is detailed in a legal divorce decree. If you have such a decree that was issued after December 31, , you will need to file your tax return on paper and attach the relevant pages of the divorce decree, including the first page and the signature page. If the decree was issued before January 1, , the IRS will not accept it. However, if you are a noncustodial parent claiming the child as a dependent, you have two options:.

Review these steps if you e-Filed your tax return and it got rejected by the IRS because somebody, such as an ex-spouse or as a result of identity theft , has already claimed one or more of your dependents on his or her tax return. Keep in mind, an accepted tax return is not a guarantee to have the right to claim the dependents on that return. Let's say you prepared and e-Filed your tax return and the IRS rejected it with the message that one or more dependents have been claimed on another taxpayer's tax return.