How to Claim Tax Dependents

To get a little extra cash back this tax season, consider the benefits you may be eligible for by claiming children or adult relatives as dependents. The tax credits you may be permitted to claim for your dependents include the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit.

Taxpayers must meet the following qualifications in order to claim a child or adult relative:

The person who files may not be claimed as a dependent on any other return.

The dependent may not be (married, filing jointly)

The dependent is required to be a citizen of the United States, resident alien, and in some cases a resident of Canada or Mexico.

The dependent can only be claimed once, therefore they cannot be a dependent on anyone else's return.

Children who are claimed as dependents must live with the filer for over half of the year.

The taxpayer must have paid over half of the support for the dependent.