Amending my return

[mkryshall]

On my 2019 tax return, I mistakenly stated that somone could claim me as a dependent (next to the line "Standard Deduction", I checked the box that says "someone can claim you as a dependent"). Nobody actually claimed me as a dependent last year. Is there any way I can change this without going through the whole process of amending my return? Literally the only thing I want to do is uncheck this box. Nothing else would be changing. I'm concerned because I think this might have something to do with the fact that I never received any coronavirus stimulus payments despite being apparently fully qualified to receive them.

[Irene2805]

You are correct that you would not qualify for the stimulus payment if you were claimed as a dependent of someone else.  However, to make the change you would have to amend your 2019 return.

Please see the instructions contained in these TurboTax articles to amend your return: 

• How to amend (change or correct) a return you already filed
• How do I amend my 2019 TurboTax Online return?

[mkryshall]

But the thing is that I was never actually claimed as a dependent last year, so I should still qualify for the stimulus payments. Checking that box on my own tax return doesn't change the fact that I wasn't claimed by anybody as a dependent. Isn't there any way to verify this and get my payments without amending my own return?

[BillM223]

TurboTax has no way to know if you were claimed as a dependent on another return, except to ask you this question. So you need to amend your return, to correct the erroneous information.

[macuser_22]

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@mkryshall wrote:

But the thing is that I was never actually claimed as a dependent last year, so I should still qualify for the stimulus payments. Checking that box on my own tax return doesn't change the fact that I wasn't claimed by anybody as a dependent. Isn't there any way to verify this and get my payments without amending my own return?

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The question in TurboTax AND on the IRS 1040 form is not IF you were claimed, but COULD you be claimed.

If you COULD be claimed, even if not actually claimed, then you must answer yes to the question.

Actually TurboTax has two questions,1)  COULD you be claimed and 2) WERE you claimed.   Yes to #1 means that you cannot claim yourself, but no to #2 allows you to claim certain educational credits that normal only the taxpayer claiming you can claim - nether one allows the stimulus credit.