Anyone here a Tax advisor?

[Gamom3]

My son has been helping my parents last year--something he took upon himself, since they have helped him over the years. Someone mentioned that he should claim them on his taxes this year. He is single. My parents are on SS. We were told that my parents receiving SS did not matter, but they did use this money to pay their bills. If he helped pay other bills of theirs would this qualify him to claim them? Also what type of proof would he need to show that he helped them--the reason why I ask is because he gave them cash so he would not have any proof to give. Also should he claim them both or just one--when we look at the form it ask if they were married.

Thanks for any advice

[zoo_keeper]

Your son would have to provide more than half of their support. That means if their only income is SS, then his support would have to amount to more than they receive in SS benefits. Is this the case?

[Gamom3]

No, he does not provide more than their SS. We were told that the SS does not matter.

[cavscout96]

zk is correct. SS DOES count and he has to provide more than 50%

[zoo_keeper]

But it does. There are multiple criteria you have to meet to claim a dependent, miss one and you're out of luck. Social Security (as long as it's not taxable) doesn't count towards the income requirement (i.e., potential dependent cannot have income that exceeds the exemption amount, but untaxed Social Security benefits don't count towards this). However, there is also a support requirement (that I mentioned above) and Social Security income does count towards this. So if the support test isn't met, there's no dependency.

[Gamom3]

No, he does not provide more than their SS. We were told that the SS does not matter.

 

He has provide transportation-- which I did not include, does this qualify?

[zoo_keeper]

But does the transportation and cash really amount to more than the social security income they received in the year? Even so, I would want to have a paper trail supporting his claim.

[Gamom3]

Thanks...I will have to talk with both to find out for sure--I am not sure how much SS my parents get. Right now it is looking like he won't be able to claim them. No one thought about keeping paperwork. I really hate it because they could have really use the refund to help pay a bill or two.

I had spoke with both of my SIL's (one claims my MIL and the other her mother) neither have a paper trail. I am just afraid if my son doesn't dot all his i's and cross all his t's he is going to be the one being audited.

[tshirtyogapantmama]

I am not a tax adviser but my brother-in-law declared my mother-in-law as a dependent on his taxes, he uses an online wizard-software similar to taxslayer and they allowed it, my MIL only gets SS and a little bit from a retirement fund when she worked years ago it's only a couple hundred dollars a month. She doesn't work and she lives in his basement (in a suite he set up for her). So not sure if your son can count them or not but people do count parents.

[zoo_keeper]

Oh, no doubt people claim their parents! But they have to meet the support requirement. It sounds as if your BIL does contribute over half of his mother's support, even counting her SS income. But this doesn't sound like it is the case with the OP's son.

[Lori D.]

Here is a list of some of the requirements for a person to claim an adult as a dependent: http://tax-return.in...lts-dependents/.

 

Based on this list and what the OP lists as support her DS has provided, it does not sound like he is eligible to claim them as dependents. The article stresses that ALL of the criteria must be met; if even one does not fit the OP's DS's situation, then he may not count his grandparents as dependents. I believe that the "make more than $3500" requirement refers to income other than Social Security, but check with a tax specialist first!