I am eloping and my parents can't find out. Can they still claim me as a dependent if I file Married-Seperately and would they find out if I am married? Help please.

[macuser_22]

Oh - I might add - the IRS usually runs computer matching of tax returns to find such mismatches about a year after the filing date so letters resulting from a mismatch on a 2017 tax return (filed in April 2018) would probably not be sent until sometime late in 2019.

[SweetieJean]

"Im sure they'll find out soon."  Are you getting married in 2017, or 2018?

[SweetieJean]

Another consideration is health insurance coverage under the ACA. If your parents claim you, they are required to provide coverage for you, or pay a penalty. But you will be covered by the military once you are married.

[bns12]

I will be getting married in 2017, and I have my own insurance. I have always done my own taxes but my parents claim me as a dependent still.

[2018-42]

Hello! im in the same situation, what ended up happening?

[Riley014]

Okok so im assuming you've done this so i need help! When theyre filing taxes can they see. I'm also on every form of their insurance and I'm pretty sure you have to inform insurance companies as well...  I'll have to file my own taxes probably but is there any way they could find out before I would be ready to tell them

[xmasbaby0]

@Riley014 Is this you---using a different username now?   It seems an unlikely coincidence that we would have two recent posts from different users on this particular topic.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/taxes/discussion/i-m-getting-married-and-my-parents-can-t-find-out...

This thread is very old.   When the user forum changed from Answer Xchange to Real Money Talk in June 2019, a lot of very old posts migrated over with 2019 dates on them, including this one.   You are unlikely to hear any sort of reply from someone who posted here years ago, but maybe they will respond to let you know if they are still happily married, or if trying to keep their marriage a secret led to lots of trouble.

If you can be claimed as a dependent on your parents' tax return, and you say you can be claimed as someone else's dependent on your own married filing separately tax return, then unless your parents actually SEE your tax return, that will not be the way they find out you got married.   But they are still likely to find out before you are "ready" for them to know.  Be careful....you may cause more trouble for yourself and your GF by trying to keep marriage a secret.

I have clear memories of my freshman year of college when my roommate tried this----it only took a few weeks until her parents discovered the "secret" marriage and oh, what a mess it became.