Claiming an elderly parent as a dependent

[DIVNA-KOS]

Can I claim my elderly mother, who lives with us, as a dependent? My husband and I care for her full time (she has dementia). She receives SSI but has no other income. If she had to pay rent for an apartment, the SSI would not be enough to cover the expense of that alone.

[xmasbaby0]

You should  be able to claim your mom as a qualified relative dependent and get the $500 credit for other dependents.

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 $5050 in 2024 (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?

[DavidD66]

Yes.  You can probably claim your mother as a dependent.  Social Security income generally doesn't count toward your parent’s gross income, but there are exceptions, such as when your parent has other income from interest or dividends.  For more information see the following TurboTax Help Article:  Steps to Claiming an Elderly Parent as a Dependent