After you file

The key is did you pay more then half of your own support for the entire year or not.

 

Use Worksheet 3-1. Worksheet for Determining Support
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17#en_US_2019_publink1000171012

 

Note that "rent" would mean the fair marked rental value of the home  or owned.

 

Worksheet 3-1. Worksheet for Determining Support

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. Don’t include funds provided by the state; include those amounts on line 23 instead 1. _____  
2. Enter the amount on line 1 that was used for the person's support 2. _____  
3. Enter the amount on line 1 that was used for other purposes 3. _____  
4. Enter the total amount in the person's savings and other accounts at the end of the year 4. _____  
5. Add lines 2 through 4. (This amount should equal line 1.) 5. _____  
Expenses for Entire Household (where the person you supported lived)      
6. Lodging (complete line 6a or 6b):      
  a. Enter the total rent paid 6a. _____  
  b. Enter the fair rental value of the home. If the person you supported owned the home,
also include this amount in line 21
6b. _____  
7. Enter the total food expenses 7. _____  
8. Enter the total amount of utilities (heat, light, water, etc., not included in line 6a or 6b) 8. _____  
9. Enter the total amount of repairs (not included in line 6a or 6b) 9. _____  
10. Enter the total of other expenses. Don’t include expenses of maintaining the home, such as mortgage interest, real estate taxes, and insurance 10. _____  
11. Add lines 6a through 10. These are the total household expenses 11. _____  
12. Enter total number of persons who lived in the household 12. _____  
Expenses for the Person You Supported      
13. Divide line 11 by line 12. This is the person's share of the household expenses 13. _____  
14. Enter the person's total clothing expenses 14. _____  
15. Enter the person's total education expenses 15. _____  
16. Enter the person's total medical and dental expenses not paid for or reimbursed by insurance 16. _____  
17. Enter the person's total travel and recreation expenses 17. _____  
18. Enter the total of the person's other expenses 18. _____  
19. Add lines 13 through 18. This is the total cost of the person's support for the year 19. _____  
Did the Person Provide More Than Half of His or Her Own Support?      
20. Multiply line 19 by 50% (0.50) 20. _____  
21. Enter the amount from line 2, plus the amount from line 6b if the person you supported owned
the home. This is the amount the person provided for his or her own support
21. _____  
22. Is line 21 more than line 20?
 

 

No. You meet the support test for this person to be your qualifying child. If this person also meets the other tests to be a qualifying child, stop here; don’t complete lines 23–26. Otherwise, go to line 23 and fill out the rest of the worksheet to determine if this person is your qualifying relative.
 

 

Yes. You don’t meet the support test for this person to be either your qualifying child or your qualifying relative. Stop here.
 
 
  Did You Provide More Than Half?      
23. Enter the amount others provided for the person's support. Include amounts provided by state, local, and other welfare societies or agencies. Don’t include any amounts included on line 1 23. _____  
24. Add lines 21 and 23 24. _____  
25. Subtract line 24 from line 19. This is the amount you provided for the person's support 25. _____  
26. Is line 25 more than line 20?
 

 

Yes. You meet the support test for this person to be your qualifying relative.
 

 

No. You don’t meet the support test for this person to be your qualifying relative. You can’t claim this person as a dependent unless you can do so under a multiple support agreement, the support test for children of divorced or separated parents, or the special rule for kidnapped children. See Multiple Support Agreement or Support Test for Children of Divorced or Separated Parents (or Parents Who Live Apart) , or Kidnapped child under Qualifying Relative.
**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**