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Level 1
posted Feb 1, 2021 8:01:14 AM

Parent as a dependent

My 91 year old mother lives with us and has for several years. Up to 2019 we have filed tax returns for her and she always gets a refund if she had any Federal withholding. Her sole income is SS and interest/dividends and a required RMD from her IRA. Not counting SS her income for 2019 was under $4300. Can we claim her as a dependent on our 2020 taxes we are filing? Would that trigger an IRS audit? Are there any other ramifications to declaring her as a dependent we are thinking about. We supply all her food and clothing. She pays her own medical costs.

Thanks

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1 Replies
Expert Alumni
Feb 1, 2021 8:20:41 AM

No, claiming your eligible parent as a dependent would not trigger an audit on its own. Generally, you can claim your parent if they didn't have more than $4,300 in gross income (excluding nontaxable Social Security) and you provided more than half of their support in 2020. Your parent doesn't have to live with you. There are a few other specifics we'll ask you about as you go through the interview in TurboTax.