Can I claim myself as a dependent while I'm in college?

Hey everyone, I'm hitting a roadblock with my taxes this year. I'm 22 (turning 23 in May) and finishing my senior year of college this semester. My living situation changed a bit last year - I lived in campus housing from January through March, then stayed with my parents for a few months when everything shut down. Since August, I've been renting an apartment with my girlfriend and paying all my own bills. Here's where I'm confused: I pay for my tuition completely on my own (loans, scholarships, and part-time work) and cover all my living expenses without help from my parents. I thought I read somewhere that if you support yourself and live on your own for more than 6 months, you can claim yourself as independent. But now I'm seeing conflicting info saying my parents could still claim me as their dependent until I'm 24 because I'm a full-time student. Can I file as independent given my situation? If not, what exactly do I need to do to qualify as independent for tax purposes? Thanks for any help!

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18 comments

Isabella Santos

•8M

The confusion here is totally understandable! The "under 24" rule only applies if you meet several other conditions as well. For a parent to claim you as a dependent, you need to meet ALL of these tests: 1. Relationship test - you're their child (which you are) 2. Age test - you're under 24 and a full-time student (which you are) 3. Residency test - you lived with them for more than half the year (this is where your situation gets interesting) 4. Support test - they provided more than half of your total support (this appears NOT to be the case for you) Based on what you've shared, since you pay for your own college and living expenses, your parents likely don't provide more than half your support. Therefore, they CANNOT claim you as a dependent, and you SHOULD claim yourself (by not checking the "Someone can claim you as a dependent" box on your tax return). Keep in mind that support includes housing, food, education, medical expenses, clothing, transportation and other necessities. If you're truly providing more than half of these costs yourself, you should file as independent.

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Isabella Santos

•8M

For your situation, you'd need to calculate the total value of all support. If your parents are paying for your apartment and half your tuition, that might very well exceed 50% of your total support for the year. Add up everything: the fair rental value of your housing, tuition, food, medical expenses, utilities, transportation costs, etc. If what they provide is more than 50% of that total, then yes, they could claim you as a dependent. Remember that loans in your name count as support you provided, while scholarships are typically considered third-party support and aren't counted for either side. It's really about doing the math to see who provided more than half your total support for the year.

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Freya Larsen

•8M

I was in almost the exact same situation last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much stress! I was going back and forth between different tax advice sites getting mixed messages about whether I qualified as independent or not. Their system analyzed my specific situation - being in school, paying my own way, living arrangements changing mid-year - and gave me a clear answer based on actual tax rules. The tool walked me through calculating my support percentage (turns out I was providing 78% of my own support) and confirmed I should file independently. What was really helpful was that it explained exactly how the IRS looks at temporary living situations like moving home during school breaks and what counts toward the support calculation.

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Freya Larsen

•8M

It's different from TurboTax because it specializes in complex tax situations rather than just walking you through forms. It asks targeted questions about your specific scenario and then applies the relevant tax rules. For my dependency status situation, it had me break down all my expenses and income sources to determine exactly where I fell. I was skeptical at first too, but unlike generic advice sites, taxr.ai cites the specific IRS publications and tax code sections their guidance is based on. I actually cross-referenced their advice with what an accountant friend told me, and it matched perfectly. The difference is they walk you through the detailed calculations and explanations instead of just giving general advice that might not apply to your specific circumstances.

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Chloe Taylor

•8M

I need to admit I was wrong about tax advice tools. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try taxr.ai just to prove it wouldn't be helpful (lol). But it actually clarified my weird situation perfectly. I'm also a student with divorced parents who BOTH wanted to claim me, and I wasn't sure if I should be filing independently. The tool had me calculate the exact percentage of support I received from each source and showed me that since I paid 62% of my own expenses through my job and student loans in my name, neither parent could claim me. It showed me the exact calculation method the IRS uses and even generated documentation I could use if either parent tried to claim me anyway. Saved me from what would have been a messy situation with competing tax claims. Definitely better than the random advice I was getting before.

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ShadowHunter

•8M

For anyone dealing with dependency issues, if you need to contact the IRS directly (which I highly recommend), use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I tried calling the IRS for weeks about a similar dependency dispute with my parents and kept getting the "call volume too high" message. Used Claimyr and got through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes who confirmed I was right about claiming myself. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent walked me through the specific support test calculations and explained that since I was providing more than half my own support (even though I was under 24 and in school), my parents couldn't claim me. Having that official confirmation made filing my taxes so much less stressful.

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ShadowHunter

•8M

It works by essentially holding your place in line with the IRS so you don't have to stay on hold yourself. When they get through to an agent, you get a call connecting you directly. I was skeptical too until I tried it. I understand the skepticism - I felt the same way. But the service actually uses a legitimate method of navigating the IRS phone system and staying on hold for you. It's basically like having someone wait in line at the DMV for you and then text when it's your turn. The IRS's own representatives have acknowledged these services exist and don't have an issue with them since they just maintain your place in the queue.

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Chloe Taylor

•8M

Ok I'm eating crow here. After calling BS on Claimyr, I tried it because my tax situation with this dependency issue was driving me insane. I was ready to file a complaint when they actually called me back 33 minutes later with an IRS agent on the line. The agent confirmed exactly what people here were saying - since I pay more than half my own support (I calculated it after seeing this thread), I should claim myself regardless of my age or student status. The agent even noted this in my file in case my parents try to claim me too. Apparently the support test trumps the age test. Can't believe I wasted weeks trying to get through on my own when this got me answers in half an hour. Definitely worth it just for the peace of mind of having the official word from the IRS.

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Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

Just wanted to add - make sure your parents know you're claiming yourself! If they try to claim you and you've already filed as independent, both your returns will get flagged and processed manually, which can delay refunds by months. My son and I went through this last year - he thought he qualified to claim himself, filed early, then I filed claiming him (I still provided most of his support). We both got letters from the IRS and had to submit documentation. The whole thing took 5 months to resolve.

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Anastasia Sokolov

•8M

The IRS wanted pretty detailed documentation from both of us. They asked for proof of payments for tuition, rent receipts, estimated food costs, medical expenses, and basically anything that counted as "support." They even requested utility bills and proof of who paid them. They also looked at how many months he actually lived with me versus on his own. The most important factor ended up being who paid for what, rather than just living arrangements. Since your parents agree with your assessment, you should be fine, but definitely keep good records of all major expenses - especially tuition payments, rent, and any large bills you pay yourself.

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