What are you really trying to do? Are you trying to claim the child as a dependent? Not claim them at all?
If the child did not live with you at all and you cannot claim them as a dependent on your return, then it is best to just remove them.
If you are the non custodial parent, is this changing when you go back in and revisit the section or is it changing and showing something different on the form? If it is showing 0 on the dependent worksheet then that is fine, just do not go back to that section. When you go back into that section, it does revert back to 6 months and tells you that is how you can get a credit.
@Vanessa A - I am having a similar issue. My mom is a dependant, she lived with me for 3 months (which I put in the step by step), but it defaults to 6 months when I say I provided more than hald her support. Anyway, I am reviewing my 'forms' and in the dependent sheet for her it shows '0' months that she lived with me, but in the step by step it shows 6. Is this expected or by design?
Yes, a parent doesn't have to live with you to be claimed as your dependent. So, TurboTax will qualify you when you indicate that you support her more than 50% and changing the number of ''lived with me'' months to 6, does that. @Snowy_Desert
@DawnC - I understand she is being counted as a dependent. What I am saying is that in the 'dependent worksheet form', it shows zero months, even in the PDF when I save the return. Shouldn't it at least match the step by step number of months, basically 6 months?
Not necessarily. That worksheet is just for your records; it doesn't go to the IRS. Anything under 6 months = zero months for tax purposes, so since she lived with you 3 months, it would default to zero. But once you indicate you provided more than 50% of her support, it should calculate as more than 6 months even though it shows zero months.
Is she listed as a dependent on your tax return (Box 4 of the Dependents section on Form 1040) and are you receiving the Other Dependent Tax Credit for her on Line 19 of Form 1040? @Snowy_Desert
Ah okay, that makes me feel better now. I even deleted her and put her back and still showed zero months so now it makes sense.
Yes, she is a dependent on form 1040 and is getting me a tax credit.
If I may ask one more question, I know this is not my thread, so apologies to the OP: My mom gets SSI based on a 'disability'. Is it safe to check off the box 'Disabled'? Her income doesn't count, that I am aware of, but in terms of her being disabled, I don't want the IRS to ask me for Doctor notices when the SSA found her disabled. @DawnC