Who can I count as a dependent?

You can claim an exemption on your taxes for each of your dependents. Qualifying dependents can include your child, stepchild, foster child, sibling or step-sibling, or any of their children, such as your grandchild, for example. In order to qualify for an exemption, a dependent must be under 19 or be a full-time student under the age of 24. The dependent must live with you for at least 6 months a year, and must not provide more than half of his or her own support.

You can also count other relatives and full-time members of your household as dependents, if they are citizens or residents of the U.S. or residents of Canada or Mexico, if they did not file a joint income tax return with anyone else, if you provided over half of their support, and if they have less than $3,400 of income for the entire year. Relatives who can qualify as dependents without having lived in your home for the entire year include children, grandchildren, stepchildren, siblings, half siblings, step-siblings, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, stepparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law or sisters-in-law.

Return to online tax preparation FAQs

Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about Online Tax Preparation & Filing Services

Recently answered questions about Online Tax Preparation & Filing Services:

Unemployed Tax Filing Guidelines
Being unemployed is more common than not in the current economic climate. And it comes with it's own set of questions about how this might affect your 2009 tax filing requirements. If you spent some (or all) of 2009 unemployed and want to know if you need to file, we break down the basics below. Federal [...]

How to file a student loan deduction on your taxes.
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question: Q: I am a single student. What forms do I file to get my student loan deduction? A: A student loan deduction is a federal tax deduction for qualified student loans. The specifics of what does and doesn't meet the definition [...]

How much will it cost me to file with TurboTax?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: So, I will have to pay a federal fee of $49.95 and a state fee of up to $39.95 to file? [...]

Who can I count as a dependent?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: The answer [in the FAQ] confuses me as it seems to say that the dependent cannot be over 24 years of age [...]

Is TaxAct simple to use?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I have never prepared my taxes online before. Is [TaxAct] pretty simple to use? I have a basic return, the only thing [...]

Can you stop, save, and return later with TaxAct?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: Can you save information on the tax returns you are submitting [with TaxAct] and go back and finish later if necessary, such [...]

I don't know if my tax return was complete.
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I don't know if my tax return was complete. [E-File Tax Returns] never asked me for payment. I gave it my [...]

Is there a charge for each W-2?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: I have several W-2's. Is there a charge for each one or not [with TaxAct]? A: TaxAct and other online tax preparation services [...]

Can I file multiple state returns online?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: We live in one state that I work in but my husband works in a different state. Can I still file the [...]

Is a free, online tax preparation service a good choice?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way. Q: Is a free tax service online (TaxAct) just as good as buying a program like TurboTax? A: TurboTax, H&R Block and TaxAct all [...]