You must understand, that if you meet the qualifications so that someone can claim you as a dependent, you must check the box that says “yes, I can be claimed as a dependent“ even if that person will not claim you. Checking that box will disqualify you from the stimulus credit, and failing to check that box—if someone can in fact claim you as a dependent—in order to get the credit, would constitute as tax fraud. The second question “will that person claim you?“ Is only relevant to the American opportunity tax credit. It is the first question, can you be claimed, that controls the stimulus payment.
As a full-time student, you can be claimed as a dependent by your parents if you live with them more than half the year and if you don’t provide more than half your own financial support. If you are away at college, this is considered a temporary absence and you are deemed to have lived with your parents during that time. To not live with your parents for tax purposes, you must have taken steps to have moved out permanently, and done it before June 30 so that you would have moved out for at least half the year. The financial support question is somewhat complicated. You get credit for support that you provide your self, which includes earnings from a job or tuition loans that are in your name. Your parents get credit for providing you with the equivalent value of room and board for the home where you have space to live in, and they also get credit for any tuition, medical, entertainment, or other expenses they pay for you. Scholarships don’t count as support that you provide yourself or support your parents provide you. If you did not provide more than half your overall support for the year, you probably can be claimed as a dependent by your parents.
There are always exceptions, of course, and no one knows yet how aggressive the IRS will be at auditing suspicious claims for the rebate. If audited, you would have to be able to prove that you did not qualify to be claimed as a dependent by anyone else.
