Can I add my adult son (20 years) as a dependent since he has severe autism, lives with us and cannot work? TurboTax is telling me no.

[Wesetx]

He receives SSA disability but can he still be considered our dependent?

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

Yes----if his only income is Social Security and you provide for over half his support he can still be a dependent on your tax return for the $500 credit for other dependents.   You should delete him in MY INFO, then re-enter his information.   Go very slowly and carefully through all of the interview questions --read every screen top to bottom.

When it asks about  whether his Social Security card says "not valid for employment" answer carefully.

When it asks if he paid for over half his support, say NO.  It is not asking if you paid over half.

IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/who-can-i-claim-as-a-dependent

WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?

You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2025 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 $5200 in 2025 (not counting Social Security)
• 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.

Related Information:

• What does "financially support another person" mean?