@Shilo1 Thanks for clarifying. So---if you were never legally married to the child's mom, you are not a legal step-parent. He is unrelated to you---which brings us right back to the fact that you cannot claim him unless he lived with you for the entire year----no living somewhere else for a month or two-- and even if you can claim him, you only get the $500 credit for other dependents--nothing else. That credit can reduce tax you owed. It is not a refund.
Sorry---it sounds like a difficult situation and you were kind and generous to a child who needed you.
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