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Can I claim my girlfriend's son's girlfriend as a dependent on my taxes?
I'm trying to figure out if I can claim my son's girlfriend on my taxes as a dependent. I've had her living with me on and off this past year after she had a falling out with her parents. She moved in permanently around February, so that's about 10-11 months total for the year. She's 19, not in college, works part-time at a coffee shop but only makes around $8,000 a year. I pay for most of her food, let her live rent-free, and have been covering her cell phone bill and other expenses. I tried using the IRS dependency test online but got confused about the "qualifying relative" part. It asked if she's my relative, which technically she's not - she's just dating my son. But she has been living under my roof and I'm providing over half her support. Does anyone know if I can claim her as a dependent? Would really help with my tax situation this year since I'm already claiming my son who's still in college. Thanks!
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Need Help With Cash App Tax Filing Options
Hey everyone! I'm trying to figure out my tax situation using Cash App this year. I've always used TurboTax before but heard Cash App has a free option now. Has anyone used it for their taxes? I'm self-employed with some side gig work and a few investments, so not super complicated but definitely not the simplest returns either. Just wondering if Cash App's tax service is reliable or if I should stick with what I know. Any experiences or advice would be super appreciated!
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Been using Cash App for taxes since they bought Credit Karma Tax. Its totally fine for W2 and basic 1099 stuff. One tip tho - download a PDF copy of ur return BEFORE you submit! Last year their servers got overloaded on April 14 and ppl couldnt access their returns for like 2 days. Just save a local copy as u go!
Does cash app let you import last years return if you used turbotax before? Or do you have to enter everything from scratch??
Definitely try Cash App! I switched from TurboTax last year and saved $89 on filing fees for basically the same service. Just make sure you set aside like 2-3 hours to do it all at once since their save feature can be a little glitchy. And double check all the numbers before submitting - their review process isn't as thorough as some paid services.
Can I use my children's bank accounts to pay for their extracurricular activities or reimburse myself for these expenses?
I'm a small business owner and I've been paying my kids for legitimate work they do for my company. Each child makes about $1,150 per month, and I deposit their earnings into their individual bank accounts that I set up for them. I'm wondering about the proper way to handle their expenses. Am I allowed to use the money in their bank accounts to either directly pay for their activities or reimburse myself when I cover these costs? For example, my daughter is really into dance classes that cost around $500 monthly - can I pay that directly from her account (or reimburse myself if I already paid)? Similarly, if my son wants to grab Chipotle after school for about $12, can I use his account to pay for that or reimburse myself if I fronted the money? I want to make sure I'm handling this correctly from a tax perspective since they're earning money from my business. Does anyone know the proper way to manage these kinds of expenses?
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I've been doing this with my kids for years and here's what my accountant told me: the key is that the money is ACTUALLY THEIRS. Whether you pay for their stuff directly from their account or reimburse yourself doesn't really matter - what matters is that they did real work, got paid fair market value, and the money is being used for THEIR benefit. My accountant suggested keeping a ledger showing: - Work performed by child - Amount paid - Expenses paid from their account - Who benefitted from each expense This has worked great for us through multiple years of taxes!
This is super helpful! Do you keep physical receipts too or just the ledger? And has your accountant mentioned any specific percentage of their income that should remain in their accounts vs being spent?
I keep digital copies of major receipts (like the big gymnastics/sports payments) but just note the small stuff in the ledger. My accountant never mentioned a specific percentage that needs to stay in their accounts. The key thing is the money should be used for their benefit - whether that's current expenses or saving for their future. There's no rule about how much needs to stay in the account. In fact, using a good portion for their current needs actually strengthens the case that this is legitimate income that belongs to them, not just a tax scheme.
Warning for anyone doing this - make sure the work your kids do is AGE APPROPRIATE and that you pay them REASONABLE wages!!! My friend got audited because he was "paying" his 7-year-old $2000/month for "consulting" lol. The IRS agent literally laughed at him.
This is so true! My tax guy says document EVERYTHING - take pics of your kids working, keep timesheets, and pay market rates. Nothing raises red flags faster than overpaying family members.
American Opportunity Credit vs Lifetime Learning Credit - How do I figure out my year in school?
So I started working on my taxes thru TurboTax and I've reached the education section. It's asking me what year of college I'm in for the American Opportunity Credit and Lifetime Learning Credit, and I'm honestly confused. I started at community college part time in 2022 taking just a few classes, then went full time in 2023, and just transferred to a university last fall. I have like 60ish credits total - some from AP classes in high school, some from my community college time. I'm technically a junior by credits at my new university, but I've only been in college for about 2.5 years total. The American Opportunity Credit seems better from what I can tell, but it's only for the first 4 years of school? Do I count as a 2nd year? 3rd year? Based on credits or based on time? I got a 1098-T from both schools for 2024 (my community college for spring, university for fall) and paid about $8,300 in qualified tuition and expenses total. I also got some grants/scholarships but not enough to cover everything. Any help would be super appreciated!!!
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The way I understand it, the AOTC counts your years differently than your school does. For example, I was part-time for 3 years, but the IRS only counted that as 1.5 years of education for AOTC purposes. This might be why you're confused. Check out IRS Publication 970 for the exact rules. For the AOTC vs Lifetime Learning Credit decision, AOTC is almost always better if you're eligible because it's partially refundable.
Is there any official calculator or tool from the IRS to figure this out? I've read Pub 970 but it's still confusing with all the exceptions and special cases.
Unfortunately there's no official IRS calculator specifically for determining your year of education. Publication 970 is the main source, but you're right that it can be confusing. The basic rule is that you need to count academic periods when you were enrolled at least half-time in a degree program. If you're really unsure, the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant (ITA) on their website can help determine if you're eligible for either credit, though it won't specifically tell you what "year" you're in. TurboTax and other tax software also usually have built-in tools to help figure this out based on your answers to their questions.
Make sure you keep all your receipts for required textbooks and course materials too! Those count as qualified education expenses for both credits. I almost missed out on claiming an extra $800 in expenses because I forgot about all the access codes and online materials I had to buy that weren't included in my tuition.
Wait what? I thought only tuition and fees on the 1098-T counted! You're saying I can claim the $400 I spent on required textbooks too??
Not all education expenses qualify though. I tried to claim my laptop last year and got audited. Make sure it's required by your program and you have documentation from professors.
Missed State Tax Refund 1099-G on my 2021 1040-NR - Should I file an amended return?
I'm in a bit of a tax mess and could really use some advice! While working on my 2022 taxes, I discovered I received a 1099-G for a state tax refund from 2021 that needs to be included in my return (since I was a non-resident in 2022). But here's the problem - I just realized I ALSO missed including a 1099-G for my 2020 state refund on my 2021 1040-NR. I've already received my federal refund for 2021, and now I'm wondering if I need to amend that return. I've tried asking several tax preparers, but they all say my situation is "unique" and I can't seem to get a straight answer about what to do. Do I need to file an amended return? How serious is this mistake? Will there be penalties? I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with a similar situation or knows the proper way to handle missed 1099-G income on a 1040-NR. Thanks for any guidance you can provide!
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For what it's worth, I missed reporting a 1099-G on my 1040-NR back in 2019 and never amended. Nothing ever happened. The amount was only about $800 though, so maybe that's why? Not saying you shouldn't fix it, just sharing my experience.
That's incredibly risky advice. The IRS has up to 6 years to audit returns with substantial underreporting and potentially unlimited time if they consider it fraudulent. Just because nothing happened yet doesn't mean you're in the clear.
You're right - I wasn't trying to suggest OP should ignore the issue. I was just sharing what happened in my specific case. The statute of limitations is definitely 3 years for most situations, but as you said, it can be longer for substantial underreporting. In my case, the amount was small enough that it wouldn't have triggered the substantial underreporting threshold (which is typically 25% of gross income).
Quick tip: If you end up filing an amended return for the 1099-G, make sure you also look at your state tax situation. If your federal taxable income changes, you might need to amend your state return as well. Each state has different requirements for this.
Thank you so much for mentioning this! I hadn't even thought about the state implications. Would this apply even though I'm filing a 1040-NR for federal? Do non-residents generally need to file amended state returns too?
Reginald Blackwell
If I were you, I'd focus on claiming the expenses you CAN legitimately deduct rather than trying to claim her as a dependent. For example, if you paid any qualified education expenses for her, you might be eligible for education credits. Also, if she's living with you next year, make sure she's there from January 1st through December 31st so you can claim her next time around.
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Adaline Wong
AuthorThanks for the suggestion about education credits, but she's not in college right now. I think you're right about making sure she stays the full calendar year for next tax season though. Do I need any specific documentation to prove she's been living with me the whole time?
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Reginald Blackwell
You don't need specific documentation upfront, but you should keep evidence in case of an audit. Things that help establish residency include mail addressed to her at your home, medical bills, school records, employment records showing your address, state ID with your address, or affidavits from people who can verify she lived with you all year. If she has a driver's license or state ID, having her update the address to yours early in the year provides good documentation. Also keep records of any support you provide like receipts for major purchases, utility bills, etc.
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Aria Khan
Why is everyone overthinking this? Just ask her to file her own taxes and not check the box that says "Someone can claim me as a dependent." The IRS isn't going to investigate your living arrangements unless there's some obvious red flag.
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Everett Tutum
This is terrible advice. The IRS absolutely can and does check dependent claims, especially if the person you're claiming files their own return. They have automated systems that flag mismatches. Tax fraud over a dependent claim is not worth the hassle and potential penalties!
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