Can I claim parents as dependent when he had gross income of 10,000 in 2019 but first 4 months he was jobless and staying with me?

Hello There! Thanks in advance for helping.

My parents live with me and i rent a house. My mother doesn't work Father did start a new job in May'19. He earned around $10,000 till end of 2019. As the income is more than 4,500, he will file separately with my mom as dependent. Can i show him dependent on my returns for the first 4 moths? I live in NY state.

Appreciate your help!

Thanks,

Rakesh

posted

There is no such thing as a part-year dependent. Since your father's 2019 gross income was $4200 or more, you cannot claim him as a dependent.

You might advise him that he cannot claim his spouse as a dependent. He should file a joint return instead. A joint return can be filed even if one spouse had no income.

**Answers are correct to the best of my ability but do not constitute tax or legal advice.