Can my grandchild be my dependent

[craig-jay]

My grandchild live with me all year. I support her fully. Is she my dependent

[SharonD007]

It depends. If your grandchild meets the qualifying requirements of a qualifying child or a qualifying relative, then you can claim them as a dependent. Below you will find the basic qualifiers: 

To determine if the individual is your qualifying child, the following questions must be true:

• The child must be related to you. 
• The child can’t be claimed as a dependent by someone else. 
• The child must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident. 
• If the child is married, they can’t file a joint return with their spouse. 
• The child must be under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students). 
  • No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children. 
• The child must have lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply). 
• The child didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year. 

If the individual doesn’t qualify as your qualifying child, you may be able to claim them as your qualifying relative. The following questions must be true:

• The individual can’t be claimed as a dependent by someone else. 
• The individual must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident. 
• If the individual is married, they can’t file a joint return with their spouse.
• The individual  must live with you all year.
• The individual  can’t have made more than $5,050 in income in 2024.
• You must provide more than half of their total support for the year.

 Please review the TurboTax Help article Who can I claim as my dependent?

[xmasbaby0]

A grandchild can be claimed as a dependent.   You have not mentioned their age.

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.

      To claim a grandchild as your dependent

      When you enter the child’s name in My 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