My father-in-law has lived with us for seven months. he revives retirement benefits but doesn't pay any rent. can we claim him in our taxes?

[MichaelDC · Accepted solution]

Possibly. Firstly, your father-in-law doesn't have to live with you at all for you to claim him. If you support him (pay half of what he needs to live) and if his retirement benefits (not counting Social Security benefits) are less than $4,050, then you can claim him.

Here's all the requirements:

You can claim a child, relative, friend, fiance (etc.) as a dependent on your 2017 taxes as long as they meet all of the following requirements :

• You provided more than half of their financial support. More info
• They made less than $4,050 in gross income during 2017 unless they are a qualifying child.
• They live with you or they are related to you.
• They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
• They aren't (or won't be) claimed as a dependent by someone else.
• They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
• You are not being claimed as a dependent on someone else's return.

If you have any other details regarding this question, please feel free to post them in the comment section.