Can I claim myself on my taxes if I received over half of my support from trust distributions? Neither my mom nor my dad can claim me as a dependent.

[PaulaM · Accepted solution]

The rules for claiming yourself, or if you can be claimed as a dependent are clear, but you have to decide who is eligible to claim your exemption first.  If you meet the qualifications, then you can take your own exemption and your trust distributions would count as your own support.

See page 27 of IRS pub 17 for the conditions that would mean someone else can claim you.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p17.pdf

[meg-taylor]

Thank you for your answer. Can I call the trust distributions "earned income"? I am referring to the question where I am asked if I paid for more than half of my expenses with earned income.

[PaulaM]

No. The IRS defines earned income as:
    Taxable income you earned as an employee, such as wages, salaries, commissions, and tips;
    Profits from operating your business or farm;
    Long-term disability pay, if received before the minimum retirement age;
    Union strike benefits.

Are you seeing something that suggests support has to be from earned income? What section are you seeing the question?

[meg-taylor]

Thanks for the reply. The question is: "Did you support yourself in 2017? Supporting yourself means paying for more than half of your living expenses with earned income." So I'll say no to this.

[PaulaM]

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[meg-taylor]

Makes sense now, thank you so much!

[PaulaM]

You are welcome 🙂