If someone (other than a qualifying child) who lives with me and is unemployed, can I claim he or she as a Dependent Relative?

Answer

Maybe. You might be able to claim the person as Qualifying Relative Dependent. To do so, all of these requirements must true:

The person is your relative or your spouses (if married filing jointly) or has lived with you the entire year (365 days).
The person’s gross income was less than $4,300.
You paid more than half of the person’s support for the year.
The person isn’t a qualifying child of any other taxpayer.
The person isn’t filing a joint return, unless it’s only to claim a refund of taxes withheld or estimated taxes paid. Also, there would be no tax liability for either the person or the person’s spouse if filing separate returns.
The person is one of these:
- U.S. citizen
- U.S. national
- Resident of the United States, Canada, or Mexico
You (or your spouse) can’t be claimed as a dependent.

Will you get a refund for an energy tax credit? Learn more about refundable tax credits from the tax experts at H&R Block.

Looking for Massachusetts state tax rates? Get your questions about Massachusetts tax brackets answered with help from the experts at H&R Block.

Discover when you should use married filing separately with advice from the tax experts at H&R Block.

Do you earn an income in Arizona? Read here about Arizona taxes including how much you have to pay, when they’re due, and how to pay them.

Estimate how much of the Child Tax Credit you could receive with our calculator. Get estimate