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kienzl5
New Member

I gained sole custody of my nephews in 2018 which came with alot of expenses. Can I claim those expenses even though we have not went through the adoption process?

 
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2 Replies
Hal_Al
Level 15

I gained sole custody of my nephews in 2018 which came with alot of expenses. Can I claim those expenses even though we have not went through the adoption process?

No.

 

But, you can claim the as dependents if you had physical custody for more than half the year.

I gained sole custody of my nephews in 2018 which came with alot of expenses. Can I claim those expenses even though we have not went through the adoption process?

No.  You cannot claim "expenses" for children.  If you qualified to claim them as dependents on  your 2018 tax return then do so, by amending your 2018 return if necessary.  But we know nothing about the circumstances--so we do not know if they qualified as your dependents for 2018.

 

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).

    • 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 $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.

Related Information:

Does a dependent have to live with me?

What does "financially support another person" mean?

Can I claim a newborn baby?

**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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