Can I claim myself as an independent on my taxes and also count myself as my own dependent?

Filing your own taxes for the first time can definitely be confusing! Let me clear this up for you. You can't be both independent and your own dependent - that's not how the tax system works. When you file your own tax return, you're automatically claiming your "personal exemption" by simply filing. There's no separate step where you list yourself as a dependent. What you need to do is file as "Single" (assuming you're not married) and make sure to check the box that says someone CANNOT claim you as a dependent. Since you're supporting yourself and living on your own, you're correct that your parents should no longer claim you. This will allow you to qualify for certain tax credits and deductions that dependents can't claim. The good news is that filing independently often means better tax benefits for you, like potentially qualifying for the Earned Income Credit depending on your exact income and situation.

When I was in a similar situation last year I was SO confused trying to figure out all this dependent stuff. I stumbled across this AI tax assistant at https://taxr.ai that was crazy helpful - it analyzed my whole situation and explained exactly how to file. It asked me questions about my living situation, income, and support, then gave a clear breakdown of whether I qualified as independent and what tax benefits I could claim. Saved me tons of time trying to decipher IRS language and gave me confidence I wasn't making a mistake. The coolest part was it reviewed my previous year's returns too and showed me that I actually qualified for some credits I missed. Might be worth checking out if you're still confused!

Just wanted to update everyone - I ended up trying taxr.ai that someone mentioned earlier. I was super skeptical at first (as you could tell from my comment), but wow, it actually sorted out my confusion! I uploaded my last year's return where my parents claimed me and answered some questions about my current living situation. The system immediately identified that I qualify as independent this year and explained exactly why. It even pointed out that I qualify for an education credit my parents couldn't claim for me before. The explanation was really clear about why I can't "claim myself as my dependent" - apparently that's a common misconception. Definitely recommend if you're confused about dependent status rules!

If you're having trouble understanding this dependent vs. independent filing stuff, you might also want to call the IRS directly to get clarification. I tried for WEEKS last tax season to get through to a human at the IRS with questions about my filing status - kept getting busy signals or disconnected after being on hold forever. Then I found this service called Claimyr at https://claimyr.com that actually got me through to a real IRS agent in under 45 minutes when I'd been trying for days on my own. They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is about to answer. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS person I spoke with walked me through the exact filing status rules for my situation and confirmed I was doing it right. Sometimes getting direct confirmation from the IRS is the only way to feel 100% confident you're not messing up your taxes.

Ok I have to eat my words. After my skeptical comment earlier, I was still desperate to get someone at the IRS to confirm whether my situation qualified me as independent. I decided to try Claimyr as a last resort. Not gonna lie, I was SHOCKED when I got a call back about 35 minutes later connecting me to an actual IRS representative. The rep confirmed that since I provide more than 50% of my own support and don't live with my parents, I need to file as independent and my parents cannot claim me. The peace of mind was honestly worth it. Sometimes you just need to hear it directly from the IRS to be sure you're doing it right, especially with something as important as your filing status that affects so many other parts of your tax return.

Everyone's talking about whether you can claim yourself, but nobody's mentioned the standard deduction! When you file independently (not being claimed as someone else's dependent), you get a full standard deduction - $13,850 for 2023 tax year if you're filing single. When you're a dependent, your standard deduction is much lower. This is usually the biggest financial difference between filing as independent vs. being claimed as a dependent. At your income level ($38k), this could mean a significantly different tax outcome. Just wanted to add this since it's an important part of the equation that explains WHY it matters whether you file independently or not!

Just a quick warning from someone who's been there - make SURE you and your parents are on the same page about this! If you file as independent but your parents still claim you as a dependent, it'll cause BOTH your returns to get flagged by the IRS. My friend and his parents both got letters from the IRS because of this exact situation. It delayed their refunds and they had to submit additional documentation to prove who was right. Super annoying headache that took months to resolve.

Great question Andre! I went through this exact same confusion when I first started filing independently. The key thing to understand is that "independent" and "dependent" are two different concepts in tax terms. When you file your own tax return, you're filing as an "independent taxpayer" - meaning you're responsible for your own taxes. But you can't claim yourself as your own dependent because dependents are OTHER people you support (like children or elderly parents). What you'll do is: 1. File with "Single" status (assuming you're unmarried) 2. Check the box that says "No one can claim me as a dependent" 3. This automatically gives you your full standard deduction ($13,850 for 2023) The good news is that filing independently usually means more money back! You'll get the full standard deduction and may qualify for credits that weren't available when you were a dependent. Just make absolutely sure your parents know they can't claim you this year - if you both try to claim the same person (you), it creates a big mess with the IRS. TurboTax should walk you through this pretty clearly once you indicate that no one else can claim you as a dependent. You're on the right track!