Can I claim my elderly parents as dependents if we co-own a house together?

But if they co-own the house couldn't the dad be considered providing half the housing costs even if he's not paying anything? Like wouldn't his portion of the house value count towards his own support?

For the support test, what matters is who's actually paying for the expenses, not who owns the property. The father's ownership stake in the house doesn't count as him providing support for himself. When calculating support, we look at who pays for housing, food, medical care, clothing, and other necessities. If the original poster is paying for the mortgage/taxes/utilities and other living expenses, then they're providing the housing support, regardless of who's on the deed.

Did it specifically address the co-ownership issue? My father and I jointly own our home (he's on the deed) but I pay 100% of costs. Wondering if this tool would help with my specific situation or if it's just general tax advice.

How accurate is this service? I've tried other tax tools before and they gave me wrong info that almost got me audited. Really hesitant to trust anything besides a real CPA at this point.

Yes, it specifically analyzed the co-ownership situation by looking at who was actually paying expenses versus who was on the deed. It explained that for tax purposes, financial support is what matters for the dependent test, not legal ownership. It showed me how to properly document that I was providing over 50% of support despite co-ownership. The service is extremely accurate because it's using actual IRS guidelines and court cases to analyze your specific situation. It's not just general advice - it looks at your exact documents and circumstances. I was skeptical too after using TurboTax's advice section, but this actually walks you through your specific scenario with proper citations to tax code.

How does this even work? Like how can they get you through when the IRS phone system is basically impossible? Sounds too good to be true.

Sorry but this sounds like complete BS. Nobody can magically get you to the front of government phone lines. I've dealt with the IRS for 20+ years and there are no shortcuts. You just have to keep calling until you get through like everyone else.

It works because they use an automated system that continually calls the IRS and navigates through the phone tree until it gets a place in line, then it calls you and connects you when it reaches a human. It's basically doing the waiting for you so you don't have to stay on hold for hours. I was definitely skeptical too at first. I had spent over 8 hours across multiple days trying to get through the normal way with no success. But I was desperate for an answer before the filing deadline. The service had me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 45 minutes while I just went about my day until my phone rang. The IRS rep had no idea I'd used a service - to them it was just a normal call that had waited in the queue.

Thanks so much for mentioning this! I had no idea there was a specific credit for adult dependents. Do my parents need to meet any special requirements beyond being my qualifying dependents to get this credit?

Your parents just need to meet the requirements for being your qualifying relatives (under the income threshold, you provide more than half their support, etc.) and have a valid SSN or ITIN. The main thing to know is that this $500 credit is non-refundable, which means it can reduce your tax to zero but won't give you any money back beyond that. Also, you can't claim this credit if someone could claim you as a dependent.

For the gross income test, Social Security benefits are generally NOT counted unless your mother is required to file a tax return for other reasons. This is a common misunderstanding. The income threshold for 2025 is $4,700, but Social Security is usually excluded from this calculation. So if your mom's only income is $850/month in Social Security ($10,200/year), she could still qualify as your dependent if you provide more than half her total support.

This is really solid advice! I'm just starting to figure out the dependent situation with my parents and hadn't thought about keeping such detailed records. Do you have any suggestions for what categories to track? Like should I separate out medical expenses from general living expenses, or does it all just go into one "support provided" bucket for the IRS calculation?

I'd recommend tracking medical expenses separately since they can be substantial for elderly parents and the IRS sometimes scrutinizes those more closely. Here are the main categories I use: 1. Housing costs (mortgage/rent, property taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance) 2. Food and groceries 3. Medical expenses (insurance premiums, doctor visits, prescriptions, medical equipment) 4. Clothing and personal items 5. Transportation (gas, car maintenance if you drive them places) 6. Other necessities (phone, internet, etc.) The IRS looks at total support provided, so it all counts toward that 50%+ threshold. But breaking it down helps you see where the big expenses are and makes it easier to calculate fair market value for things like housing. Medical expenses are often the largest category for elderly parents, so definitely track those carefully with receipts.