My parent claiming my kids

[marisajune94]

Can my mom claim my 2 kids, we live in hud housing tho she has literally paid for everything i have not made over 4,050 not even close. She has helped with utilities and rent and such. So can she put they lived with her the whole year since she kept the roof over our heads. When we put they didn't live with he she doesn't get a return backt hat makes up for the amount she did put in this year for them.

[MichaelDC]

Yes. Your mom should be able to claim your 2 kids and possibly you. She can't be Headhold of Household, unless she already is and has a relative living with her more than 6 months.

Here are the rules to have your mother be able to claim you even though she doesn't live with you:

• Do they live with you? Your relative must live at your residence all year or be on list of Relatives who don’t have to live with you. About 30 types of relatives are on this list.
• Do they make less than $4,050 in 2016? Your relative cannot have a gross income of more than $4,050 in 2016 and be claimed by you as a dependent. 
• Do you financially support them? You must provide more than half of your relative’s total support each year. 
• Are you the only person claiming them? This means you can’t claim the same person twice, once as a qualifying relative and again as a qualifying child. It also means you can’t claim a relative—say a cousin—if someone else, such as his parents, also claim him.
• Rules for all dependents:
• Are they a citizen or resident? The person must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, a U.S. resident, or a resident of Canada or Mexico. Many people wonder if they can claim a foreign-exchange student who temporarily lives with them. The answer is maybe, but only if they meet this requirement.
• Are you the only person claiming them as a dependent? You can’t claim someone who takes a personal exemption for himself or claims another dependent on his own tax form.
• Are they filing a joint return? You cannot claim someone who is married and files a joint tax return. Say you support your married teenage son: If he files a joint return with his spouse, you can’t claim him as a dependent.