Rent is not a tax-deductible expense that can get entered on your tax return BUT you paying the rent can be a consideration in determining if you can claim an individual as a dependent of yours.
One requirement to claim a dependent is that you must provide more than 50% of their support, which is the cost of basic life necessities such as food, lodging, clothing, medical and dental care, education, transportation, utilities, and so forth, so you paying the rent would be part of that support.
Here are the requirements in order to claim a qualifying adult on your return as a dependent:
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 are 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.
- They made less than $4,050 in 2017.
- You provided more than half of their financial support. More info
When you add someone as a dependent, TurboTax will ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them.
