If you are married, your spouse does not claim you as a dependent. The tax benefits of filing as married filing jointly already include additional deductions for the spouse.
If you are not married, then for an unrelated adult to claim you as a dependent, you must meet 3 tests.
1. Your taxable income is less than $5050 (for 2024) (including under the table work and side hustles).
2. You live in their home the whole year.
3. They provide more than half your total financial support.
Also, remember that even though social security is not taxable (if it is your only income), it does count as support you provide yourself. So you have to think about the support question each year, and figure out your total cost of living, how much you provided, how much your partner provided, and how much was provided by outsiders (church, gifts, food stamps, etc.) and make sure the person who wanted to claim you has paid more than half the total.
