dependents

[culinarysin]

My wife's family lives in Thailand. Can we claim  any dependents for paying for her niece's (3) to go to school and for providing 80% of her families support? Just wondering. 

[xmasbaby0]

Sorry, no.   You cannot claim dependents who do not have a Social Security number or an ITIN.

IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:

https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/who-can-i-claim-as-a-dependent

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3113432-who-can-i-claim-as-my-dependent  

[Opus 17]

No.  Any family member can't be a dependent unless they live in your home more than half the year, or you pay more than half their total financial support.  Then, dependents must also be US citizens, green card holders, or residents of the US (live in the US at least 6 months) or be residents of Canada or Mexico.  And even then, there are no special tax deductions for paying for schooling.