Tax Year Prior to 2020: Filing Dependents

[tinanguyen26]

My parents claimed me as a dependent when I did not qualify to be their dependent because they do not provide more than half of my support even if I am a full time student that lives at home. Their CPA did not carefully ask any questions about my 1098-T or income and went ahead and assumed that my parents provide more than 50% of my needs/expenses. 

How can they amend this mistake so that I can file my taxes on my own. 

[MinhT1]

If you are under age 24 and a full time student, your parents can claim you as a dependent if you did not provide for more than half of your own support in 2019. This test is slightly different from the test whether your patents provided more than half of your support.

To determine support, you can use the IRS worksheet.

If you find that you provided more than half of your own support in 2019, then you can file as a non-dependent. You can only file by mail as you cannot e-file if your parents have already claimed you as a dependent. Your parents would then ave to amend their return. 

[NCperson]

income has nothing to do with the support test. see the link @MinhT1 's response.  You could be making a million dollars per year and still be a dependent of your parents if they are paying more than 50% of the costs to support you. 

a question; if you lived at home, did you pay rent, utilities at a fair market level?   Who paid for your college expenses? who paid your medical insurance? food? how do you rationalize you supported yourself for more than 50%? 

normally, it is best for the parents to claim the student as it's a better tax outcome for the family.   Parents can get up to $2500 for AOTC (student can't), parents can get up to another $500 as a other dependent tax credit.

Why are you trying you challenge all that?  Why aren't you trying to see how you could be a dependent?   

you can certainly file your taxes on your own.  Depending on your income, that is a legal requirement.  But determining whether or not your parents can claim you or not is THEIR responsibility - not yours.  sorry for the bluntness, but given the tone of your question, I thought it was warrented.  

[tinanguyen26]

Hi thank you for your response.

I know my parents would benefit from claiming me as a dependent, but I was looking to see different options.

And yes I do pay for my own expenses such as tuition, car insurance, medical, dental, food, utilities, etc. My parents live off of one income through disability and my siblings and I independently provide for ourselves. I am not trying to challenge this I just had a question about amending the tax return.

Also, I ask about all of this because of my high income it resulted in me to paying over $2500 in taxes and I am not able to afford that since I am out of work due to the state wide quarantine. If I was able to claim my 1098-T, I would have gotten $2500 in return but otherwise. 

Thank you for your input

Looking to see what I could do or what they could do.

Thank you for your response though.

[NCperson]

the further issue is that the 1098T goes on your parents return if they CAN claim you as a dependent; whether they do or not is immaterial.   

Again, your income doesn't have any impact on whether your parents provide over 50% of support.  

[VictorW9]

You can still have your parents amend their return and let them be aware of how that the benefits the family. You always want to use the filing option that is beneficial to the family as a whole. I am sure they will understand if you are able to show the tax impact on the family based on the filing option chosen. And if you are saying that your parents live off one income through disability, I can hardly imagine how claiming you as a dependent could be of any benefit to them or the family as a whole. 

[Hal_Al]

Other than the issue of who claim  the tuition credit, with the tax law change, effective 2018, most students will get the same refund whether they claim themselves or not. The personal exemption has been eliminated and the standard deduction increased.

A full time unmarried student, under age 24, is only eligible for the refundable portion of the American Opportunity Credit if he supports himself by working (more than half your support must come from earned income). You cannot be supporting yourself on parental support, 529 plans or student loans & grants. It is usually best if the parent claims that credit. 

You cannot claim a credit if you are, or can be, claimed as a dependent by someone else.