topic Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

screamqueendg44 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 15:04:06 GMT

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

Critter-3 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 15:08:34 GMT

Sorry but you don't have a choice ... if you are eligible to be claimed as a dependent you must indicate so on your return EVEN if they do not claim you as a dependent.

There are two rules to claim someone as a dependent on a tax return, either the Qualifying Child rules or the Qualifying Relative rules.

Who can I claim as my dependent?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2018 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:

Qualifying child

They are related to you.
They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
They are under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
They live 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 are 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.
They made less than $4,150 in 2018 ($4,250 in 2019).
You provided more than half of their financial support.

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

xmasbaby0 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 15:16:57 GMT

You do not get to choose whether you are a dependent or not. If you fit the criteria to be claimed as someone else's dependent then that person can choose whether to claim you but the choice is not up to you. The rule is if you CAN be claimed then on your own tax return you must say you can be claimed as someone else's dependent.

"Would I get more money....."

You will not receive stimulus money if you can be claimed as a dependent. You cannot claim education credits if you can be claimed as a dependent--the parent who claims you is the one who can get the education credits.

You have not mentioned how old you are--that is important. If you were under the age of 24 at the end of 2020 and a full-time student then you can be claimed no matter how much you earned. If you are 24 or older at the end of 2020 then you cannot be claimed if you had at least $4300 of income (not counting Social Security).

Read the rules and see if you fit the criteria to be a qualifying child or qualifying relative:

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, fiance (etc.) as a dependent on your 2019 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:

Qualifying child

• They are related to you.

• They cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else.

• They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.

• They are not filing a joint return with their spouse.

• They are under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).

No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children

• They live with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).

Qualifying relative

• They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).

• They cannot be claimed as a dependent by someone else.

• They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.

• They are not filing a joint return with their spouse.

• They lived with you the entire year.

• They made less than $4300 (not counting Social Security)

• You provided more than half of their financial support. More info

When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them.

Related Information:

• Does a dependent have to live with me?

• What does "financially support another person" mean?

• Can I claim a newborn baby?

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

screamqueendg44 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 16:03:34 GMT

Hypothetically should I say "this rule is stupid" and claim myself as an independent anyway would there be any legal repercussions? Cause she only uses me as a dependent so she doesn't have to pay any money out of pocket....that is literally her only reason and given the fact I'm over 1800 dollars in credit card debt because of her, I think she's owed some karma. Again, hypothetically.

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

xmasbaby0 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 16:12:04 GMT

Non-hypothetically ---- YOU do not get to decide which tax laws to abide by. The criteria is not whether you like the law.

"I think she's owed some karma" Really? Sounds like you are living under her roof rent-free. Try out the support test to see if you pay over half your own support.

What does "financially support another person" mean?

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

xmasbaby0 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 16:27:29 GMT

And....if you file a tax return and say you cannot be claimed as a dependent--which many college students do by mistake (or on purpose...) when the parent tries to file a tax return claiming the qualifying child as a dependent, the parent's e-file is rejected (if the kid filed first). Then the parent can print, sign and mail their own tax return, which will be hand processed by the IRS. Then the IRS sorts out whether you could be claimed. If your tax return is incorrect--you lose and repay any extra credits or refund you got because you filed incorrectly.

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

screamqueendg44 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 16:50:59 GMT

Hey in case you didnt totally read the question I said I AM living rent free because my mother owes me money. I paid off her car repairment which was 475 dollars and had to buy a fridge for our current house since we weren't provided one. Both were used with a credit card she wasnt supposed to know about because she spent all her money on weed and booze. So when I said shes owed some karma I meant in the sense that she would finally pay for something that shes been avoiding for years. That equates to a year of rent for me. Second of all rude of you to assume that when I say hypothecitcally I meant it as "I'm going to do it anyways." I meant it as a legitimate question because I was genuinely curious. If you didnt mean to sound that way then I apologize but that is how your writing made it out to be.

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

xmasbaby0 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 16:54:37 GMT

We cannot help here with parent/child conflicts. I gave you the information you need regarding how the tax laws work for claiming a dependent. Study hard and do well in school. Good luck.

Re: Would I get more money if I filed as an independent? I live with my folks to save money since I'm in college. I dont pay rent because my mother owes ME money and I do contribute by buying groceries wh

screamqueendg44 — Sun, 06 Dec 2020 17:11:18 GMT

I do appreciate the information. I apologize for going off like that. You did provide crucial information I needed and I thank you.