I was finishing my taxes and when I went to file electronically, my return would not be accepted because I had been claimed as a dependent. I discovered that my mom claimed me, but, based on everything I've researched she should not have - she lied, and now I am not sure what I should do. I am 21 years old and based on the below, there's no way she should have been able to claim me:
1. I moved in with my dad and step-mom (they are divorced) in February of 2020, so I only lived with her for 2 months
2. While I was registered for school the first semester of 2020 and did attend, I dropped out and never finished - She did pay the tuition because I dropped late, but even then it was not full-time (only 9 hours)
3. I made over 10K in gross income last year - based on my research it's way over the $4300 threshold that the IRS shows
4. I didn't live with her most of the year, so she definitely didn't provide 1/2 of my support, if anything my dad and his wife did
I tried talking to her about it but she refuses to amend her taxes, claiming that because she paid for that semester of school that I dropped and that because she pays for my cell phone, she has every right to claim me as a dependent. I also believed she lied to her tax preparer and told her that I lived with her. I can prove that I didn't live with her. I filed 2019 taxes (she didn't claim me then, by the way) using my dad's address, my bank statements have my dad's address, all my paycheck stubs have my dads address.
Based on what I read, the solution is to send my return by mail and basically wait for the IRS to trigger an audit. I'm really upset because if I let her claim me, I will lose about $1,000 in my return and the $1,400 stimulus check that's coming, and I could really use that money for school (I have loans to pay for my college). She did the same thing to my brother, and he is going to lose about $3,400.
Is there anything else I can do? If not, would it help to attach a letter to my return letting them know the situation and detailing how she basically lied to claim me? Any input would be greatly appreciate it.
