Can i claim my girlfriend's children as dependants? (2013)

Before casting stones, you might want to be certain that your facts are correct. This woman is not required  to report her boyfriend’s income for food stamps or other benefits (welfare as you call it.) If they were married, it would be different & both incomes would be required to determine the household’s eligibility. Obviously in this case, they are not married so the boyfriend has no legal obligation to support those children (even if he chooses to because he is a decent human being.) Therefore it is not certain & legally unknown whether or not he will continue to contribute his income to benefit the girlfriend & her kids because he could decide at any point to simply stop supporting them. Or they could break up much easier than a husband & wife (& are more likely to than a married couple) so the government can not require this woman to claim income that is not legally hers or under her control that she may or may not continue to receive. Since they’re not married, the girlfriend has no provisions under the law to ensure she would continue receiving that income the way a married woman could be entitled to post-separation support should her husband decide to leave.

Next time, before becoming so sanctimonious & deciding to judge and condescend someone, you may want to have your facts straight first so you don’t look like such an [removed]; because you do along with everyone else here squawking that this woman is committing welfare fraud. She is not, and you all need to recognize and remember that every single one of you is just one mistake or cataclysmic event away from being in this woman’s shoes and having to depend on government benefits yourselves to survive & feed your family. In that event, imagine how you’d hope others would treat you and extend that same consideration to people currently on benefits instead of casting judgment  and looking down on them. 

that's absolutely not true! after my separation from my ex-husband,  i attempted to apply for SNAP and had to even give my 18 year old son's income info. i even received a visit to make sure my ex-husband was no longer living here since not all of our paperwork was finalized and he hadn't changed his address on everything yet!