topic I am caring for my 2 nephews and niece, and have been since July of 2022. Can I claim them on my taxes? in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

I am caring for my 2 nephews and niece, and have been since July of 2022. Can I claim them on my taxes?

tlleo — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:56:45 GMT

Re: I am caring for my 2 nephews and niece, and have been since July of 2022. Can I claim them on my taxes?

xmasbaby0 — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:24:21 GMT

Maybe....but we do not have enough information.

IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/who-can-i-claim-as-a-dependent

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3113432-who-can-i-claim-as-my-dependent

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.

Re: I am caring for my 2 nephews and niece, and have been since July of 2022. Can I claim them on my taxes?

Hal_Al — Sat, 28 Jan 2023 15:41:42 GMT

Q. Can I claim them on my taxes?

A. Probably not, unless they lived with you since July 1 or 2.

Note the residency rule for a Qualifying Child: They lived with you for more than half the year.

There's one additional rule: They must not be the qualifying child of another taxpayer.. If they didn't live with you for more than half they year, they probably lived with their parent (or other relative) for more than half the year. If no relative had them for more than half the year, they may qualify as your Qualifying Relative (other) dependent but then you could not get the Child Tax credit or EIC.

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and Other ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit and student status test, a relationship test and a residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit. The Other dependent (qualifying relative) credit is worth (up to) $500 per dependent and is non-refundable. That is, it can only be used to reduce an actual tax liability.