Can I claim my parent as a dependent on taxes if I pay housing costs?

Yes, you might be able to claim your parent as a dependent! To claim a parent as a dependent, you need to pass several tests: 1. They don't need to be a U.S. citizen, but they must be a U.S. resident, U.S. national, or resident of Canada or Mexico. 2. Your parent's gross income must be less than the dependent exemption amount ($5,150 for 2025). The good news is that Social Security benefits are generally NOT counted toward this gross income limit unless your mother is filing a return and half her Social Security plus other income exceeds certain thresholds. 3. You must provide more than half of your parent's total support for the year, which it sounds like you are doing when you factor in housing, utilities and food. 4. Your parent doesn't need to live with you for the whole year to qualify as a dependent (unlike non-relatives), but it helps that she does. If you meet all these requirements, you can claim her as a "Qualifying Relative" dependent on your taxes, which could give you benefits like the Credit for Other Dependents.

I was in a similar situation with my dad last year and found this amazing tool that helped me figure out exactly what I could claim. I used https://taxr.ai to upload all our documents (his SS benefit statement, my mortgage info, utility bills, etc) and it analyzed everything for me. It told me I was eligible to claim him as a dependent and even explained exactly how to document everything properly in case of an audit. The best part was that it checked if I qualified for the Credit for Other Dependents, which gave me an extra $500 tax credit! It was super helpful because I was confused about how much of his Social Security counted toward the income limit.

Just wanted to follow up about that taxr.ai site someone recommended. I decided to try it with my complicated situation with my grandfather and multiple family members contributing to his care. It actually sorted everything out perfectly! The tool analyzed all our contribution amounts and determined that while neither my mom nor sister individually provided more than 50% support, together we provided over 50%. It then walked us through completing a multiple support declaration (Form 2120) so my mom could claim him this year. Honestly saved us so much confusion and probably prevented us from making a mistake on our taxes. It even flagged that my grandfather's pension would count toward the gross income test but his Social Security might not depending on his total situation. Really cleared things up for us!

If you're having trouble getting a clear answer from the IRS website about claiming your parent, you're not alone. I spent WEEKS trying to call the IRS to get clarification about this exact situation with my mother-in-law. Could never get through - always "call volumes too high" or disconnected. Finally found https://claimyr.com and watched their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. The agent walked me through the exact rules for claiming a parent with Social Security income and confirmed I was eligible for the dependent care credit too since I was paying for some medical assistance for her. Seriously saved me hours of frustration and probably prevented me from missing out on legitimate tax benefits.

OK I need to eat my words about that Claimyr service. After getting nowhere for two weeks trying to reach someone at the IRS about my parent dependent question, I broke down and tried it. I was completely shocked when they called me back in about 20 minutes with an actual IRS representative on the line. The agent was super helpful and walked me through the specific requirements for claiming my mom. Turns out I was overthinking it - since her only income is Social Security and she doesn't have to file a return, I can claim her as long as I provide more than half her support (which I do with housing costs). The agent even explained how to document everything properly in case I get audited. Can't believe I wasted so much time trying to call them myself!

Don't forget that if you claim your parent as a dependent, you might qualify for head of household filing status which gives you better tax rates than filing as single! You need to provide more than half the cost of keeping up the home where your parent lives, but it sounds like you do that already.

Has anyone dealt with the situation where a parent gets too much Social Security to qualify as a dependent? My dad gets about $2,300/month and I heard there's a gross income limit.