exemptions

[gonefishing]

My son was in the service as a Marine, he's 100% disabled by the service and had to come back home because he can't make ends meet. What kind of proof would I need to be able to claim him as an exemption for 2020?

[xmasbaby0]

Are you asking about your 2019 tax return that you will file in 2020?

You say he "could not make ends meet?"  But if he had over $4200 of income earned in 2019 then you cannot claim him as your dependent even though you have been helping.  You do not say when he was discharged from the military--did the Marines pay him in 2019?  What income is he currently receiving?  Is he getting VA benefits?  

And by the way, there are no personal exemptions any more since the new tax laws passed for 2018 and beyond.  All you get for claiming an adult as a dependent is a $500 credit.

Review the criteria for claiming your son as a qualified relative:

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, fiance (etc.) as a dependent on your 2018 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 $4,150 in 2018  ($4200 for 2019)

• 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?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4499708-what-is-the-500-credit-for-other-dependents-family-tax-cre...

[PaulaM]

Thank you for your son's service.

While you no longer receive an exemption for your dependents (Tax Reform), there are other tax benefits you may be able to get when you claim a dependent.

Please see this link for the rules in order to claim your son as a dependent. In the dependent section, TurboTax will ask you a series of questions to make certain you can claim them.

[Carl]

he's 100% disabled by the service

Then he has a dd214 issued to him by the military that explicitly states he is discharged for/with 100% disablity rating. You only need that, if the IRS asks for it. I would also expect he is receiving disability pay from the VA that is 100% tax free.

Do note that he will ***NOT*** receive any kind of tax reporting document from the VA in any way, shape or form since the disability pay is tax free. It does not have to be reported on *ANY* tax return, ever. That disability pay also does "NOT" count towards any earned income maximum either. So if all he receives in a tax year is that tax free disability pay, then he has ZERO DOLLARS of earned income.