You may be able to claim your mother in law as a Qualifying Relative dependent (even though she passed away in 2016) if:
- You provided more than half of her support in 2016
- She earned less than $4,050 in gross taxable income. (Social Security income generally doesn’t count here.)
- She lives with you 365 days in the year or is related to you.
- She isn’t a dependent on someone else’s tax return.
- She isn’t filing a tax return with a spouse (married filing jointly).
- She was a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident
You can’t claim a dependent if you are a dependent on someone else’s taxes
See Rules For Claiming Dependents
