What can i do if someone without permission claimed me on their taxes? How do i fix that?

[Chrism1212]

I’m 18 yrs old and I just filled for my taxes I got rejected to get my tax returns because it says someone filled me into their taxes but no one that I know filed me as there dependent not my mom nobody 

[Critter]

If you are under the age of 19 and live with any adult that pays the bills then they claimed you and they should claim you unless you actually paid for more than 1/2 of your total living expenses for the year with money you earned from a job.   On  your return you must indicate that someone will and did claim you ... that is the law.

[Critter]

@Shaooo 

No one can look this up for you ... ask the friend. 

[Hal_Al]

@Chrism1212 

At this point, you have two choices:

1. Don't claim yourself (check the box on form 1040 that says somebody can claim you) and you can e-file.

2. File a mail-in paper return. The IRS will send you your refund and  sort it out later.  See below, for details.

As others have suggested, the 2nd issue here, is do you really qualify to claim yourself. 18 year olds, living at home, usually don't qualify, regardless of how much income they have.

A 3rd issue is what are you trying to get by claiming yourself. With the tax law change, effective 2018, most 18 y.o. will get the same refund whether they claim themselves or not. The personal exemption has been eliminated and the standard deduction increased. 

If it's the stimulus money, you're after.  That can wait til next year. The paper filing will delay it several months anyway. In essence, the stimulus check acts as an advance of your 2020 income tax refund. This means when you prepare your 2020 income tax return, next year, there will be a line to claim it, if you didn't get it in this year.

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If someone else claimed you, as a dependent,  inappropriately, and if they file first, your return will be rejected if e-filed. You would then need to file a return on paper, claiming yourself, if appropriate. The IRS will process your return and send you your refund, in the normal time. Shortly (up to a year) thereafter, you’ll receive a letter from the IRS, stating that your exemption was claimed on another return. It will tell you that if you made a mistake to file an amended return and if you didn't make a mistake to do nothing. The other party will get the same letter you did. If one of you doesn't file an amended return, unclaiming the exemption, the next letter, from the IRS, will require you to provide proof. Be sure to reply in a timely manner.

Winner gets the tax benefits; loser gets to pay the IRS back with penalties and interest.

The usual suspects are:

1. The parent the child lives with.
2. The other parent. 
3. The child claimed his own exemption.
4. Some other member of the household (e.g. grandparent)
5. Someone else the child lived with for part of the year

[Lagatita85]

 hello I have a couple questions I've tried to file my taxes through TurboTax and it turns out that I had already been claimed by my ex-husband what can I do to resolve my problem to claim myself and my dependents

[VolvoGirl]

If your return is getting rejected you can print and mail it to claim yourself.  Why could your ex claim you?  When did you get divorced?  Do you live together?

[Hal_Al]

@Lagatita85  

Are you legally divorced? If so, it would be nearly impossible for your ex to legally claim you as a dependent. If you are still legally married, he may have filed you on a joint return.

Either way, as VolvoGirl said, you can no longer e-file.  The only way to resolve this is for you to file you own tax return, on paper, in the snail mail.  You claim your kids and everything else you're entitled to.

If you are still legally married, reply back for more details on how to file. You cannot use Single Filing status.  You MIGHT be able to use Head of Household but may have to file as Married Filing Separately (MFS). You cannot claim EIC if you file MFS

_____________________________________________________________________

If someone else claimed you, and your kids, as  dependents,  inappropriately, and if they file first, your return will be rejected if e-filed. You would then need to file a return on paper, claiming yourself, if appropriate. The IRS will process your return and send you your refund, in the normal time. Shortly (up to a year) thereafter, you’ll receive a letter from the IRS, stating that your exemption was claimed on another return. It will tell you that if you made a mistake to file an amended return and if you didn't make a mistake to do nothing. The other party will get the same letter you did. If one of you doesn't file an amended return, unclaiming the exemption, the next letter, from the IRS, will require you to provide proof. Be sure to reply in a timely manner.

Winner gets the tax benefits; loser gets to pay the IRS back with penalties and interest

[dannyg5787]

What can i do if someone without permission claimed me on their taxes? How do i fix that?

[BillM223]

As several answers posted above note, you cannot "do" anything about it except for you to print and mail your return (assuming that you want to file as independent and are eligible to do so).

As noted above, the IRS will eventually notice that you filed as independent while someone else claimed you as a dependent, and will write both parties to find out the facts of the situation.

[Tyrie91]

I haven't lived with my spouse for 2 1/2 years and we filed for divorce a year ago. It hasn't been finalized yet. I went to apply for my stimulus check and I found out that I was denied due to the fact that someone filed me as a dependent. Obviously it was my ex. Is this even legal? What should I do?

[JotikaT2]

It depends.

If you are still legally married, your soon to be ex-spouse cannot claim you as a dependent.

Rules for claiming a dependent

If you are filing your own tax return, you will need to mail your 2019 tax return in as it will probably be rejected when you e-file your return.  When you prepare your tax return for 2020, you will be asked how much of the stimulus payment you received in 2020.  If it was less than you were entitled to, you will receive a credit on your 2020 tax return.

If you feel your ex received your portion of the stimulus payment, you can try to use the following link to track the payment.

FAQ for Economic payments

Please see the following website for answers to all situations currently covered by the IRS.  The website is being updated frequently so check back for updates as it may apply to your particular situation.

Economic payment questions

[apostleangela57]

OK 

[Ciretto]

For 3 years I worked for a Mrs.Loretta Lynn @

<address removed>.  I never received cash payments or any payments for that matter. .come to find out she has claimed me for each of those years without my knowing. I served as a 24 hr care giver for her grandmother. . I never established residency at<address removed>  Today we no longer speak and once again she has claimed me.i am currently homeless and am not eligible for the stimulas package. I have a legal address  which is Christopher C

<address removed>. I do not know what to do. I have lost everything and this woman has gained all in my name....what legal action is available for me ?

[Cmf2]

What can I do if someone used me as a dependent on 2019 taxes and I did not give permission?

[DoninGA]

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@Cmf2 wrote:

What can I do if someone used me as a dependent on 2019 taxes and I did not give permission?

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As has been posted many times on this thread, there is nothing you can do.

You file your tax return normally, but will have to print and mail the return.  If you are owed a federal tax refund, the IRS will pay the refund.  Within a year the IRS will investigate and the loser pays back any refund plus penalties and interest.

See this TurboTax support FAQ for printing a tax return for mailing - https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/printing/help/how-do-i-print-and-mail-my-return-in-turbotax-online...