Your daughter and grandchildren do not have to live with you to be claimed as dependents, but did you pay for OVER half of their support? You said "I provided financial support..." Can you provide some details? Were you helping them out during a hard time or were you really paying for over half of the expenses to support them? Did your daughter work or receive income in 2021? Did your daughter file a 2021 tax return and claim the children?
IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:
https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/who-can-i-claim-as-a-dependent
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3113432-who-can-i-claim-as-my-dependent
Does a dependent for 2021 have to live with me?
SOLVED•by TurboTax•1880•Updated December 27, 2021
Not necessarily. Certain relatives may qualify as dependents even if they don't live with you:
- Children (including legally adopted), stepchildren, foster children, or any of their descendants
- Siblings, including half and step siblings
- Parents and their direct ancestors (excluding foster parents)
- Stepparents
- Aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews
- Fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law
- Any of these relationships that were established by marriage and not ended by divorce or death.
To be claimed as a dependent, your relative must also:
- Have been a U.S. citizen or resident, or a resident of Canada or Mexico for at least part of the year
- Received less than $4,300 gross income (except nontaxable Social Security benefits) in 2021
- Received more than 50% of their support from you (this is why incarcerated relatives almost never qualify)
- Not be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer
- Not file a joint return with another taxpayer
In addition, children who were under 19 at the end of 2021 (24 if they attended school full time for at least part of five calendar months of the year) must have lived with you for more than half of the year to be claimed. There are special rules for children of divorced or separated parents and for persons receiving support from two or more individuals.
As you go through the My Info section in TurboTax, we'll ask a series of questions to determine if somebody qualifies as your dependent.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
