How do i answer the question "This person will claim me on their 2022 tax return?" if im unsure if they will and cannot check with the parent that could claim me?

[bradenz]

I moved out of my father's house (who has always claimed HOH) last December. I no longer have contact with them (They shut off my phone) so I cannot check if they will claim me. I Understand I would be a dependent under them if they did because I was a qualifying child even though I paid for all of my food, gas, and schooling. The only thing he paid was utilities/housing.

[TeresaM]

It sounds as if you did live with your father for more than one half of 2022 and that is a requirement for him to claim you.  You would also need to be under the age of 19 (or 24 as full-time student).  If you lived at school and your permanent address was your father's house, that will count as living with him.

To claim you, he would need to provide more than one half of your support.  Scholarships and grants would not apply, as they are considered 3rd party. The IRS has a worksheet to help determine if you could be claimed by your father for 2022.   

If your father claims you as a qualifying dependent, and then you file your return and do not check the box that someone will be claiming you,  the later of the two returns filed will be held in review and the IRS will research which return is correct. They might make an adjustment to the return filed earlier. It can take a considerable time for them to finish. 

If you are not sure of his plans and do not have anyone that could confirm them, you can check the box that someone can claim you and the one that someone will claim you. 
Then, if he did claim you as a dependent, your return will not be held up in research at the IRS. If you find later that he did not claim you, you can always file an amendment up to 3 years from the original filing date (or due date). 
 

You may wish to complete your return and then after everything else is entered, check and uncheck the box to see the difference it makes on the taxes due. This will help determine if it is worth amending the return.  

[xmasbaby0]

If you were living with your family for most of 2022 it is likely that you are being claimed as a dependent.    ("I moved out ... last December")     But there is no way to know that unless you ask them, or unless you try to e-file --if you say that no one can claim you, and your e-file is rejected--that will be a big clue that your Social Security number has already been used on a tax return.  

Since you have provided no information here regarding your age or whether you were a full-time student in 2022,  or how much income you received, we cannot say if your parent can claim you.

If you CAN be claimed as someone else's dependent, the rule is that you must say on your own return that someone can claim you.   

Here are the rules that apply to the person who might be able to claim you as either a qualified child or qualified relative:

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2022 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:

Qualifying child

• They're related to you.
• They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
• They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
• No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
• They lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
• They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.

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're 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 (exceptions apply).
• They made less than $4,400 in 2022.
• You provided more than half of their financial support.

When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them. There may be other tax benefits you can get when you claim a dependent.