A qualifying relative is a specific term with a very clear-cut meaning to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As a qualifying relative, a taxpayer can claim that person as a dependent and receive potential tax credits that may accompany the addition of that person to the household. A qualifying relative can be any age.

parents who live apart, and kidnapped children. If your cousin is your foster child and all the other tests are met, you would be able to claim him as a dependent on your 2010 income tax return, otherwise, based on the information you have provided, you are not eligible to claim him as a dependent on your return.

Live with you the entire year (365 days) or be one of these: Your child, stepchild, foster child, or a descendant of any of them. Your brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, or stepsister or a descendant of any of them. Your father, mother, grandparent, or stepparent, but not a foster parent.

Must be your child, stepchild, foster child, sibling, or half sibling (or the descendent of those). The child must be under the age of 19 and be younger than you (or your spouse), be under age 24, be a student and be younger then you, or be permanently and totally disabled.

When claiming an adult as your dependent, there are four essential tests you must satisfy. The first test requires that you be ineligible to report the person as your qualifying child. However, all individuals who are older than 23, or older than 18 and not attending school full-time, can never be a qualifying child.

To claim your child as your dependent, your child must meet either the qualifying child test or the qualifying relative test: To meet the qualifying child test, your child must be younger than you and either younger than 19 years old or be a “student” younger than 24 years old as of the end of the calendar year.

You can claim dependent children until they turn 19, unless they go to college, in which case they can be claimed until they turn 24. If your child is 24 years or older, they can still be claimed as a “qualifying relative” if they meet the qualifying relative test or they are permanently and totally disabled.

Who are dependents? Dependents are either a qualifying child or a qualifying relative of the taxpayer. The taxpayer’s spouse cannot be claimed as a dependent. Some examples of dependents include a child, stepchild, brother, sister, or parent.

If you can claim someone as a dependent, certain deductions you can get will lower the amount of income you can be taxed on. If you qualify for a tax credit related to having a dependent, your tax liability will shrink and you may even be able to redeem the credit for a tax refund.

Your spouse is never considered your dependent. If you’re filing a separate return, you may claim the exemption for your spouse only if they had no gross income, are not filing a joint return, and were not the dependent of another taxpayer.

You can claim a boyfriend or girlfriend as a dependent on your federal income taxes if that person meets the IRS definition of a “qualifying relative.”

According to the law your dependants include your parents, spouse / civil partner and children. Other relatives, friends or unrelated children who live in your home as family are also considered your dependants.

$4,300

The credit is worth up to $2,000 per dependent for tax year 2020, but your income level determines exactly how much you can get. Previously, you needed at least $2,500 to qualify for the CTC.

Families can deduct up to $2,000 from their federal income taxes for each qualifying child under 17. These are credits, so if your tax bill is $10,000 and you qualify for the maximum credit, your bill goes down to $8,000.

The tax code doesn’t care if your child was born on January 1 or December 31. They can be your dependent as long as they were born at any time during the tax year.

1. The payments will be $1,400 per qualifying adult ($2,800 for married taxpayers filing a joint return) and $1,400 per dependent. For the third round of stimulus payments, taxpayers can get payments for dependents of all ages, including children over the age of 17, college students, and adults with disabilities.