Our grand daughter has lived with us all of her life and we have always claimed her as our dependent (grand child) every year.
Back in April 2019, our grand son was also placed with us by CPS, and we were officially certified as Foster Parents for BOTH of our grand kids in September 2019.
Should we now claim them both as Foster children or as grand children?
Would it make a difference?
You have been the custodial "parents" of both of them--one all year and one for more than half the year.
Claim them as your grandchildren.
To claim a grandchild as your dependent
When you enter the child’s name in Personal Info, you will be asked “What’s your relationship to [child’s name]?”
Choose “another person”
a drop down menu will appear that lets you choose grandchild
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).
• 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 $4200 (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.
You have been the custodial "parents" of both of them--one all year and one for more than half the year.
Claim them as your grandchildren.
To claim a grandchild as your dependent
When you enter the child’s name in Personal Info, you will be asked “What’s your relationship to [child’s name]?”
Choose “another person”
a drop down menu will appear that lets you choose grandchild
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).
• 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 $4200 (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.
i tired to do my taxes and they wanted my parents name and social security number. i have never lived with them .The person i lived with had claimed me for last year. is it her information that they want? She is not my parent