There's no age requirement for you. You can claim a dependent as long as you yourself are not a dependent on someone else’s taxes. If you meet all the requirements below, you can be considered Head of Household and claim the dependents that also qualify.
For tax year 2017 you can qualify for Head of Household if you:
- Were unmarried as of December 31, 2017 and
- Paid more than half the cost to run your (or a qualifying parent's) home in 2017 (rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.) and
- Supported a qualifying person.
After you answer all the questions about yourself and your dependents at the beginning of your return, we'll let you know if your situation qualifies for Head of Household.
You can also revisit these questions by selecting My Info (online) or Personal Info (software), and then selecting Edit next to your name or your dependent's.
You can claim a child, relative, friend, fiance (etc.) as a dependent on your 2017 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:
Qualifying child
- They are related to you.
- They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They are under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- (No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children)
- They live with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
Qualifying relative
- They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
- They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They lived with you the entire year.
- They made less than $4,050 in 2017.
- You provided more than half of their financial support. More info
When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them.
