Claiming dependents

[Mrsbritc]

I provided financial support for my daughter and grandkids who lived in Georgia in 2021. Would I be able to claim the children on my tax return even if I live on the state of Texas?

[JillS56]

The rules for claiming a dependent on your taxes are as follows;

Qualifying child

In addition to the qualifications above, to claim an exemption for your child, you must be able to answer "yes" to all of the following questions.

• Are they related to you? The child can be your son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, adopted child or an offspring of any of them.
• Do they meet the age requirement? Your child must be under age 19 or, if a full-time student, under age 24. There is no age limit if your child is permanently and totally disabled.
• Do they live with you? Your child must live with you for more than half the year, but several exceptions apply.
• Do you financially support them? Your child may have a job, but that job cannot provide more than half of her support.
• Are you the only person claiming them? This requirement commonly applies to children of divorced parents. Here you must use the “tie breaker rules,” which are found in IRS Publication 501. These rules establish income, parentage and residency requirements for claiming a child.

If your daughter and grandkids live in Georgia you would not meet the requirements to claim them as a dependent.   

Rules for Claiming a Dependent on your tax return

[xmasbaby0]

Your daughter and grandchildren do not have to live with you to be claimed as dependents, but did you pay for OVER half of their support?    You said "I provided financial support..."     Can you provide some details?   Were you helping them out during a hard time or were you really paying for over half of the expenses to support them?      Did your daughter work or receive income in 2021?   Did your daughter file a 2021 tax return and claim the children?

IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:

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

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3113432-who-can-i-claim-as-my-dependent  

Does a dependent for 2021 have to live with me?

SOLVED•by TurboTax•1880•Updated December 27, 2021

Not necessarily. Certain relatives may qualify as dependents even if they don't live with you:

• Children (including legally adopted), stepchildren, foster children, or any of their descendants
• Siblings, including half and step siblings
• Parents and their direct ancestors (excluding foster parents)
• Stepparents
• Aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews
• Fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law
• Any of these relationships that were established by marriage and not ended by divorce or death.

To be claimed as a dependent, your relative must also:

• Have been a U.S. citizen or resident, or a resident of Canada or Mexico for at least part of the year
• Received less than $4,300 gross income (except nontaxable Social Security benefits) in 2021
• Received more than 50% of their support from you (this is why incarcerated relatives almost never qualify)
• Not be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer
• Not file a joint return with another taxpayer

In addition, children who were under 19 at the end of 2021 (24 if they attended school full time for at least part of five calendar months of the year) must have lived with you for more than half of the year to be claimed. There are special rules for children of divorced or separated parents and for persons receiving support from two or more individuals.

As you go through the My Info section in TurboTax, we'll ask a series of questions to determine if somebody qualifies as your dependent.