Inquiry About Claiming Parents as Dependents

Good day,

Can I claim my parents as dependents even though they have been living outside of the USA for more than five years?

Please note that both of them have Social Security numbers. However, I’m not sure if their Green Cards are still active after being away from the U.S. for such a long time.

I appreciate your answer.

1901

1 Best answer

Expert Alumni

Apr 18, 2025 8:50:45 AM

Probably not. In order to claim someone as a dependent, they would need to be a US Citizen, US Resident or National or a resident of Canada or Mexico.

To claim someone as a Qualifying Relative, they must be:

Your child ( including step children, adoptive children and foster children) or a descendent of them
Your sibling (including half siblings) or a child of your sibling or a sibling-in-law
Your parent or grandparents, including step parents and in laws
Any other person that lived with you for the entire tax year
Not a qualifying child of another taxpayer
Someone that you provided over half of their support for during the tax year
Has less than $5,050 in income (not counting social security)

Expert Alumni

Apr 18, 2025 8:50:45 AM

Your child ( including step children, adoptive children and foster children) or a descendent of them
Your sibling (including half siblings) or a child of your sibling or a sibling-in-law
Your parent or grandparents, including step parents and in laws
Any other person that lived with you for the entire tax year
Not a qualifying child of another taxpayer
Someone that you provided over half of their support for during the tax year
Has less than $5,050 in income (not counting social security)

Level 1

Apr 22, 2025 7:28:35 PM

Thank you!

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Inquiry About Claiming Parents as Dependents