I lived with my parents until June so they are claiming me on their return. I paid rent June to December on my own apartment, Can I take the renters credit in California?

[jarhett-whitney]

I lived with my parents until June so they are claiming me on their return. I paid rent June to December on my own apartment, Can I take the renters credit in California?

[Bsch4477]

They can’t claim you if you provided  more than half of your own support. But to answer your question, you can’t take renter’s credit as a dependent. 

[Vanessa A]

Your parents probably cannot claim you if you moved out in June and are over 18 and not a student.  If you moved out in June, then you didn't meet the criteria of living with them for more than 6 months of the year and if they did not pay your bills during the time you moved out, then you likely provided over half of your own support.  These two things would cause them not to be able to claim you as a dependent on their return.  Especially if you made more than $5,050 for the year. 

The following criteria must be met to claim someone as a qualifying child:

• Your child (including adopted and foster children), your sibling, or a descendent of any of them.
• Age 18 or younger at the end of the tax year OR under 24 (and younger than you and your spouse) if they are a full-time student
• Lived with you for more than 6 months during the tax year
• They did not provide more than half of their own support (social security does not count)
• They did not file a joint return, unless it was to claim a refund
  
   

As for the renters credit, if you meet the criteria to claim it, yes, you can claim it even though you did not live there or pay rent for the entire year. However, if your parents claim you as a dependent, then No, you cannot claim the credit as you cannot be claimed as a dependent in order to claim the CA renters credit.