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claiming a senior us citizen parent who has no income but does not live with me (living in a nursing home) as a dependent

HI I wonder if I can claim a senior us citizen parent who has no income but does not live with me (he lives in a nursing home) as a dependent? I paid for all his expenses 

 

thanks

 

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claiming a senior us citizen parent who has no income but does not live with me (living in a nursing home) as a dependent

To be clear----you are paying for all the expenses of the nursing home----not Medicaid or long term care insurance?

 

If so, and his own income --- not counting any Social Security--- was less than $4700 in 2023, he could be your qualifying relative.  And...you can enter the nursing home expense as a medical expense on your return.  You may need to ask the home for a breakdown of the costs that are considered to be "medical" as opposed to the amount for meals, etc.  They should be able to provide that.

 

 

 

 

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

 

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2023 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 $4,700 in 2023.
  • 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.

 

 

 

 

MEDICAL EXPENSES

The medical expense deduction has to meet a rather large threshold before it can affect your return. The amount of medical (including dental, vision, etc.)  expenses that will count toward itemization is the amount that is OVER 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You should only enter the amount that you paid in 2023—do not include any amounts that were covered by insurance or that are still outstanding.  Of course, your medical expenses plus your other itemized deductions still have to exceed your standard deduction before you will see a difference in your tax due or refund.

 

To enter your medical expenses go to Federal>Deductions and Credits>Medical>Medical Expenses

 

 

2023 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS

 

SINGLE $13,850  (65 or older/legally blind + $1850)

 

MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY $13,850  (65 or older/legally blind + $1500)

 

MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $27,700  (65+/legally blind) )  + $1500 per spouse

 

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD  $20,800 (65 or older/blind)  + $1850)

 

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

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