Can I claim a friend's daughter as a dependent she's been living with me for the last five and a half months no job no government benefits can I add her as a dependent

Forum|Forum|5 months ago
January 28, 2026
1 reply
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She has not had a job she has not been helping in any way monetarily I've been paying food lodging and providing any other needs I told my friend I would take care of her when he passed away from colon cancer

TurboTax Online

DoninGA

Level 15

Since she is not related to you the requirement is that she must live in your home for the entire year before she is eligible to be claimed as a dependent under the Qualifying Relative rules.

To be a Qualifying Relative -

1. The person cannot be your qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer. A child is not the qualifying child of any other taxpayer if the child's parent (or any other person for whom the child is defined as a qualifying child) is not required to file an income tax return or files an income tax return only to get a refund on income tax withheld.
2. The person either (a) must be related to you or (b) must live with you all year as a member of your household.
3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $5,200 (social security does not count) in 2025
4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.
5. The person must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S., Canada, or Mexico resident for some part of the year.
6. The person must not file a joint return with their spouse with the following exception -
You can claim a person as a dependent who files a joint return if that person and that person’s spouse file the joint return only to claim a refund of income tax withheld or estimated tax paid.