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Can I claim Mother-in-law as dependent? She lives rent free in our other home. I pay for home insurance, prop. taxes, all upkeep and mowing. Can she be a dependent?


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Can I claim Mother-in-law as dependent? She lives rent free in our other home. I pay for home insurance, prop. taxes, all upkeep and mowing. Can she be a dependent?
It depends. She could be a "Qualifying Relative" if her gross taxable income is less than $4,050 and you provided more than half of her support. The rules and a worksheet to help you are included below.
Qualifying Relative:
You provided more than half of their support.
They made less than $4,050 in gross taxable income. (Social Security income generally doesn’t count here.)
They live with you (365 days in the year) or they are related to you.
They aren’t a dependent on someone else’s taxes.
They aren’t doing their taxes with a spouse (married filing jointly).
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They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
You can’t claim a dependent if you are a dependent on someone else’s taxes. Use the link here for more information. Rules for Claiming a Dependent on Your Tax Return
IRS Worksheet to Determine Support (click this link to print the worksheet and click the image attached to enlarge and view)
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Can I claim Mother-in-law as dependent? She lives rent free in our other home. I pay for home insurance, prop. taxes, all upkeep and mowing. Can she be a dependent?
It depends. She could be a "Qualifying Relative" if her gross taxable income is less than $4,050 and you provided more than half of her support. The rules and a worksheet to help you are included below.
Qualifying Relative:
You provided more than half of their support.
They made less than $4,050 in gross taxable income. (Social Security income generally doesn’t count here.)
They live with you (365 days in the year) or they are related to you.
They aren’t a dependent on someone else’s taxes.
They aren’t doing their taxes with a spouse (married filing jointly).
-
They are a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
You can’t claim a dependent if you are a dependent on someone else’s taxes. Use the link here for more information. Rules for Claiming a Dependent on Your Tax Return
IRS Worksheet to Determine Support (click this link to print the worksheet and click the image attached to enlarge and view)
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Can I claim Mother-in-law as dependent? She lives rent free in our other home. I pay for home insurance, prop. taxes, all upkeep and mowing. Can she be a dependent?
How do you know if the social security is considered income...or not?
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Can I claim Mother-in-law as dependent? She lives rent free in our other home. I pay for home insurance, prop. taxes, all upkeep and mowing. Can she be a dependent?
@marelli22 wrote:
How do you know if the social security is considered income...or not?
In reference to claiming a dependent under the Qualifying Relative rules Social Security is not considered in determining gross income.
To be a Qualifying Relative -
1. The person cannot be your qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer. A child is not the qualifying child of any other taxpayer if the child's parent (or any other person for whom the child is defined as a qualifying child) is not required to file an income tax return or files an income tax return only to get a refund on income tax withheld.
2. The person either (a) must be related to you or (b) must live with you all year as a member of your household.
3. The person's gross income for the year must be less than $4,200 (social security does not count) in 2019
4. You must provide more than half of the person's total support for the year.
5. The person must be a U.S. citizen or a U.S., Canada, or Mexico resident for some part of the year.
6. The person must not file a joint return with their spouse.
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