Hello! I have been having issues with my family. The past year I have supported myself (no help at all by my parents), I moved out 8 months ago. Am i a independent?

[jamieb0824]

I made over 4050$ in 2017 and I claimed myself because i pay for all my support and have not lived with my parents for 8 months. I am worried they will be able to claim me because of falisfied information, If there is anyone I could speak to would be awesome. Or could give me information on what will happen!

[DoninGA]

Are you age 19 or older and are were you a full time student in 2017?

[Hal_Al]

Exactly what date in 2017 did you move out? And is the move permanent and not just for the purpose of attending school.

[jamieb0824]

I am 18, and i was a full time student. I moved out permanently because of personal issues that does involve money purposes.

[SweetieJean]

"i pay for all my support"  You paid for everything, including housing, by yourself (not through student loans or scholarships?)

[jamieb0824]

Correct.

[SweetieJean]

How much was your 2017 income? Who paid for school?

[jamieb0824]

I attend high school, I graduate in 3 months and i will be paying for all college expenses. 8,000$.

[jamieb0824]

And when I research into what a QC is it says i have to be living with for a full year which I did not, and pay half of my support, and have to make less than 4050$. Since none of these follow then how would I quailfy for this?

[SweetieJean]

You are confusing QC and QR.
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-news/fs-05-07.pdf">https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-news/fs-05-07.pdf</a>

[Hal_Al · Accepted solution]

You are not independent. Your parents can still claim you as a dependent because  you are under age 19 and lived with them most of the year. Your income is not relevant and support is essentially not relevant

There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, a relationship test and residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit .

You are a QC.

[SweetieJean]

"Your income and support are not relevant."  Not exactly.....
To be a Qualifying Child, the child must not have provided more than half of his or her own support for the entire year (regardless of who did provide the support). Support includes food, actual or fair rental value of housing, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, etc.
But Hal Al is correct...you are not independent for 2017.

[SweetieJean]

To start, if you moved out 8 months ago, that would have been in August, right? So you lived at home for more than half of 2017.

As to support, your parents provided you with housing, utilities, food, etc. for more than half of the year as well. So it sounds they CAN claim you under the IRS rules.