Sunday, December 5, 2010

Can you claim yourself as an independent if you are still under your parents' health insurance?

I am a full-time student, and did not live with my parents all year. Yet I am still under their health insurance until I turn 23 this year. My mom still claimed me as a dependent which resulted in owing $4 and getting no money back. I pay for school, and everything thing else, besides half of my rent each month, which my mom pays. I have had a job all year. Can my mom legally claim me as a dependent? Would I still be able to claim myself as an independent?
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One generally can take an exemption for any dependant if you provide more than 50% of their support. If in doubt, the IRS has a formula to figure. You have to provide the potential dependant's social security number and, of course theirs on your Return. I say the IRS has a formula because, if there is a dispute and both parties made 3400.00 or over, the other party could claim the exemption if the IRS ruled in their favor. You may be eligible for the earned income credit also if you worked. If you are supporting yourself, it means you provide over 50% of their living expenses. For your parents to claim you, they must pay more than half of the cost of keeping up a home for the year. You can determine whether you or they paid more than half of the cost of keeping up a home by using the following worksheet. IRS: Cost of Keeping Up a Home - Amount You Paid Total Cost Property taxes $ $ Mortgage interest expense Rent Utility charges Upkeep and repairs Property insurance Food consumed on the premises Other household expenses Totals $ $ Minus total amount YOU paid ( ) Amount OTHERS paid $ If the total amount you paid is more than the amount others paid, you meet the requirement of paying more than half the cost of keeping up the home. Include in the cost of upkeep expenses such as rent, mortgage interest, real estate taxes, insurance on the home, repairs, utilities, and food eaten in the home. If you used payments you received under Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or other public assistance programs to pay part of the cost of keeping up your home, you cannot count them as money you paid. However, you must include them in the total cost of keeping up your home to figure if you paid over half the cost. Costs you do not include. Do not include in the cost of upkeep expenses such as clothing, education, medical treatment, vacations, life insurance, or transportation. Also, do not include the rental value of a home you own or the value of your services or those of a member of your household.
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