I was wondering if I could claim my son on taxes or even do taxes since I'm a stay at home mom and don't work?

[SweetieJean]

How do you support yourself?  Do you live with the child's father or another adult?

[xmasbaby0]

Who supports you?  You can most likely be claimed as someone else's dependent, and if you did not work and support your son, then the person who claims you as a dependent can also claim your son.  If you had no income earned form working, you are not eligible to receive the child-related credits such as earned income credit or additional child tax credit.

[nikkif85]

Yes I live with the child's father but we don't want him to claim our son cuz we are afraid child support will take the money

[nikkif85]

It has only been this last year I haven't worked cuz I stay home with our son.  But we're afraid to have my boyfriend claim him cuz we don't want child support to take it

[SweetieJean]

The Child Support order isn't going to go away, so he may as well pay it off faster via his tax refund.

[xmasbaby0]

You mean BF owes child support?  The debt is not going to go away.  If you did not work, then you have nothing to file, and cannot benefit from claiming the child.  If BF claims him and is supposed to get a refund, it will at least go to paying toward the child support the owes even if the refund is seized.

[xmasbaby0]

If BF owes for child support, his refund is seized anyhow.  If he claims the child, his refund may be increased, which will pay off the child support quicker.

[VolvoGirl]

And he can probably claim you too.  Did you live with him the whole  year?  If you made less than $4,050 total income he can claim you.  Like others have said, the bigger refund he can get the faster it will be paid off.

[nikkif85]

Yes Ive been with him the whole time.

[nikkif85]

But it's the fact we don't think it's fair for them to get his sons money and give them that money for the other kids when it should go to our son

[nikkif85]

Plus he has how many more years to pay child support

[DoninGA]

Personal responsibility is a hard life lesson to learn.

[xmasbaby0]

What you think is "fair"  is irrelevant to the tax laws.  The fact remains that YOU cannot file and get any benefit from claiming the child.  BF can and then pay the child support he owes.

[Hal_Al]

No. You can not file and claim the child. The money you hear about people getting for just filing a tax return claiming kids requires you to  have some earned income (wages or self employment). Without earned income, you are not eligible for the "refundable" Earned Income Credit or Additional Child Tax Credit.

For tax purposes, a child is the "Qualifying Child" of any close relative he lives with. not just his parent. For example, if you and your child live with your parents, you can allow  them to claim your child, instead of you. If the only other person, in the household, is the child's  dad, he should claim the child. It's better that the money go to back child support than to the IRS.