No, it sounds like his SSI payments are not taxable to him, but, depending on his total income from all sources, they may keep you from claiming him as a dependent.
Please review the following information:
Did your child also get other benefits that subsidize him for:
"rent & room/board thing is a total pain in the butt and confusing. MUST we report that not-for-profit rent and the board element, especially when any parent pays more for that food, med, clothing, physical therapy, utilities, and other expenses than the rent AND board elements total?"
SSI is not the same as Social security benefits reported on SSA-1099.
SSI recipients do not receive an end-of year "tax reporting document". They receive SSI instead of SSA because they have never paid into the Social Security System to draw Social security benefits. However, the amount of money the child receives throughout the year from SSI does count toward his support (paid by him).
Do you get paid by any government programs for taking care of your child?
You need to look at the total income your child receives from all sources and compare that with the amount you calculate on the worksheet to see if your child receives "more than 50%" of the total cost of his support from all sources. If so, then you may not qualify to claim him as a dependent any longer on your return.
His SSI payments count as support provided by him but if he did not provide over 50% of all his living expenses, you may be able to claim him.
TurboTax will ask you a series of questions to see if you are able to claim him as a dependent.
To prepare the IRS Worksheet for Determining Support, click on Worksheet for Determining Support - IRS.gov
The first line of the Support Worksheet is:
Funds Belonging to the Person You Supported
1. Enter the total funds belonging to the person you supported, including income received (taxable and nontaxable) and amounts borrowed during the year, plus the amount in savings and other accounts at the beginning of the year .
The following are the requirements to claim a dependent: https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5187060
You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2020 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:
Qualifying child
- They're related to you.
- They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
- They lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
- They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.
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're 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 (exceptions apply).
- They made less than $4,300 in 2020.
- You provided more than half of their financial support.
When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them. There may be other tax benefits you can get when you claim a dependent.
Related Information:
