You wouldn't actually claim yourself as a "dependent". However, if you pay over half of your own support, then nobody else can claim you as a dependent on their tax return and you will get the Personal Exemption amount on your own tax return. The Personal Exemption amount is $4,050 for 2016 and is the amount someone would be able to deduct on their tax return for each qualified dependent they claim.
Support includes:
- Food
- Lodging (even if your mortgage is paid off)
- Clothing
- Education (including the GI bill)
- Medical and dental care (including insurance and
supplementary Medicare premiums)
- Recreation
- Transportation and similar necessities
Support does not
include:
- Life insurance premiums
- Funeral expenses
- Federal, state, or local income taxes or Social
Security and Medicare taxes paid on a person's own income
- Scholarship grants
- Income made by a disabled person in a sheltered
workshop
And, this link may help to see if someone else could claim you as their dependent:
Who Can I Claim as a Dependent?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5187060
