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Tax Forms and Calculators For Tax Year 2022 Pages

Qualifying Relative Dependent in 2022

Tax Year
2022

Dependents and qualifying relatives provide substantial tax savings; see below if you can claim a qualifying relative as a dependent on your return. Information on children and taxes.

Who Is Your Other Dependent?

Taxpayers with qualifying dependents who don't qualify for the Child Tax Credit may be able to claim this tax credit (non-refundable) for other dependents. A qualifying relative is a person who meets the IRS requirements to be your dependent for tax purposes. If someone is your qualifying relative, then you can claim them as a dependent on your tax return. They may also qualify for the Child Tax Credit, Credit for Other Dependents, or the Child and Dependent Care Credit.

Certain relative dependents for tax purposes may be:

  • Of any age, including those who are age 18 or older
  • Dependents who have Social Security numbers or individual taxpayer identification numbers
  • Dependent parents or other qualifying relatives supported by the taxpayer
  • Dependents living with the taxpayer who aren't related to the taxpayer, such as a boyfriend or girlfriend - never a married spouse.

Despite the name, an IRS Qualifying Relative does not necessarily have to be related to you. This means you may be able to claim a niece or nephew, but you also may be able to claim your boyfriend or girlfriend on your taxes. Use this tax tool below to find out if you have a qualifying relative and see if they qualify for other tax credits.

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Qualifying Relative Educator
Is the person a United States Citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico with a valid SSN, ITIN, or ATIN who was born on or before December 31, 2022? More A qualifying person must meet all three criteria:
A. Is a U.S. Citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.
B. Has a Social Security Number (SSN), Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), or Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN).
C. Was born by December 31 of a given tax year. There is an exception if the child died in the same year as it was born. Otherwise, answer with No as the person will not qualify as a qualifying child, relative, or dependent. Read this document for more details on who is a qualifying DependentQualifying Details
How is this person related to you? Relationship Details
Was the child under the age of 18 as of Dec. 31 of the tax year? Dependents and Age
Was your child:
  • - Under age 19?
  • - A student under age 24?
  • - Permanently or totally disabled at any age?
  • If any of the above are true, select Yes below.
Did the child live with you for more than half of the year?
Did the child provide more than half of his or her own support for the year?
Did the child file a joint tax return?
Is the person a qualifying dependent of any other taxpayer?
Did the person live with you all year as a member of your household?
Was the person's gross income for the year MORE than $4,400? Qualifying Relative Income
Did you provide more than half - 50% plus - of the person's total support for the year? In order for a qualifying child or relative to be a dependent, one of the five criteria is the support a taxpayer provided. For example, did you pay for the majaority of their living expenses, meal expenses, clothing, etc.? Calculate if you contributed more than 50% of person's support compared to the entire amount of support that person received (e.g. savings, wages, tuition) from all sources.
A person's own funds aren't counted as support unless they are actually spent for support. Read more about this via IRS Publication 501, Dependent InformationSupport Details
Did you have earned income during the tax year? Earned Income Details
Did you pay expenses for the care of your dependent to allow you to work or look for work? Child, dependent care expenses must be work related to qualify for the childcare tax credit. Expenses are considered work related only if both of the following are true:
A. They enable you and/or your spouse to work or look for work.
B: They are for a qualifying person's care.
See details on the Child and Dependent Care Expense Credit for a better understanding; this tool will let you know if you qualify. See more details via IRS Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care ExpensesDependent Care Expense Details
Are you excluding or deducting at least $3,000 of dependent care benefits for this dependent? Care Benefits Details
Were your dependent care payments made to:
  • - Someone you or your spouse could claim as a dependent?
  • - Your spouse?
  • - The parent of your qualifying child who is under age 14?
  • - Your child who was under age 19 at the end of the tax year?
Select your filing status:
Do you know the care provider’s name, address, and identifying number? Or if not, did you make a reasonable effort to get this information? (See due diligence.)
Here are your results:
Is this person your dependent and can they be included on your tax return?
No
Does this person qualify for the Child Tax Credit, worth up to $2,000 per child? Why not $3,600?
No
Does this person qualify for the Credit for Other Dependents, worth up to $500 per person?
No
Can you claim the Dependent Care Credit for this person, worth up to $2,100? Why not $8,000?
No
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You'll Be Fine!

See more details on claiming a qualifying relative on your return. Generally, if someone lives with you and you take care of them, they may qualify as your dependent for tax purposes. This includes family relatives, but also can include a boyfriend or girlfriend. It does not, however, include a wife or husband for which you provide support for. There are no circumstances when you can claim your spouse as a dependent on your taxes, even if you provide their support (stay-at-home parent, disabled spouse, unemployed, etc.). When you file as married filing jointly, you are given several tax breaks.

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