Amending my tax return to claim myself as a dependent - what should my parents do?

This is actually a pretty common situation. Your parents can absolutely file their own amended return claiming you as a dependent without waiting for your amended return to be processed first. The IRS will eventually match both amended returns during processing. When they receive both amendments showing the same correction (you as a dependent), they'll know the situation is being fixed by both parties. Your parents should include a brief explanation with their amendment stating that you're also filing an amended return to correct your filing status. Just know that amended returns are taking even longer than usual to process these days - sometimes 20+ weeks. Make sure you and your parents keep copies of everything submitted and tracking information for the mailed returns.

After dealing with a similar dependent/independent mess-up last year, I stumbled on taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a total game-changer. I uploaded my tax documents and within minutes got clarity on exactly how to handle the amendment process for both returns. The tool actually walked me through the specific forms needed and gave me language to include with both amendments to make sure they got processed correctly together. Saved me from having to make an expensive CPA appointment just to fix this one issue.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai - it was actually super helpful! It confirmed that my daughter definitely qualified as my dependent despite her filing as independent. The tool generated specific instructions for both of our amended returns and even provided the explanation text to include with our submissions. What I really appreciated was that it clearly showed which tax benefits I'd get back by properly claiming her (education credits!) and estimated our new refund amount. Made the whole amendment process way less stressful.

If you're really concerned about your parents having to pay now and wait for a refund, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with dependent status confusion, and I couldn't get through to the IRS for weeks to figure out what to do. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the hours I spent on hold before giving up. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent I spoke with was able to put a temporary hold on the balance due while we got the amended returns processed, which saved us from having to pay thousands and then wait months for it back.

OK I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it - and holy crap, it actually worked! Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes without having to sit through the hold music or menu prompts myself. The agent confirmed that filing amended returns from both sides was the right approach AND gave me info about requesting an abatement of any penalties or interest that might accrue during processing. She even noted my account with info about the pending amendments. Completely worth it just for the peace of mind from speaking to an actual IRS person who could see my specific situation.

One more thing to consider - depending on your parents' tax situation, they might want to request an extension to file (Form 4868) if the payment deadline hasn't passed yet. This would give them until October to file their return, but they'd still need to PAY any estimated taxes by the original deadline to avoid penalties. This extra time might allow your amended return to at least get into the IRS system before they have to finalize theirs. Just another option to consider!

Does anyone know if you can track the status of an amended return? I'm worried about my amendment getting lost in the mail or something.

Another option to consider while waiting for the amendments to process is setting up a payment plan with the IRS if your parents are concerned about the immediate financial impact. They offer both short-term (120 days or less) and long-term installment agreements that can help spread out the payments. The short-term payment plan doesn't have a setup fee, and even if your refund comes through during those 120 days, any overpayment would be refunded back to them. This might be less stressful than paying the full amount upfront while waiting months for the amendment processing. You can set up payment plans online through the IRS website or by calling them directly. Just make sure to still file those amendments ASAP since the payment plan doesn't fix the underlying dependent status issue.