Can I claim siblings as dependents if they don't live with me? Tax question about disabled dependents

Yes, you potentially can claim them as dependents even if they don't live with you! This would fall under the "qualifying relative" rules rather than the "qualifying child" rules. For qualifying relatives who don't live with you, you need to meet several tests: 1) They must not have gross income over $4,700 for 2025 filing, 2) You must provide more than half of their total support for the year, 3) They must be related to you (siblings qualify), and 4) They cannot be claimed by anyone else. Your sibling who works 15 hours weekly might be close to the income limit depending on their pay rate, so you'll need to calculate that carefully. Also, you'll need to determine if you're providing more than 50% of their total support - including housing, food, clothing, medical expenses, etc. Since your father only receives Social Security, it sounds like you might meet that threshold.

I had a really similar situation with my brother who has a developmental disability. Tax questions like this drove me crazy until I found this tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that actually analyzed my specific situation. I uploaded some documents about my support payments and his living situation, and it gave me a detailed analysis of whether I could claim him as a dependent. The cool thing was it showed me exactly what I needed to document to prove I was providing over half his support, even though he lived with our aunt. Saved me tons of stress trying to interpret all the tax rules myself!

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai like recommended above! It was super helpful for my situation with my disabled uncle. The system walked me through exactly what counted as "support" and helped me calculate that I was providing about 67% of his total yearly expenses even though he lives with my parents. It even flagged that I needed a signed statement from my parents confirming they weren't claiming him. Which I would have totally forgotten about! Got everything sorted and claimed him successfully. Huge relief since that dependency exemption made a big difference on my taxes.

After seeing your post, I wanted to share something that helped me in a similar situation with my dependent mother who lives with my sister. I was spending HOURS trying to get through to the IRS to confirm some specific dependent questions. I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent walked me through the exact documentation I needed to prove I was providing more than half my mom's support. Was totally worth it to get official confirmation before filing!

I need to eat some crow here. After my skeptical comment, I actually tried Claimyr because I was desperate to talk to someone about my complicated dependent situation with my grandmother. It actually worked! Got through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had tried calling myself for literally weeks. The agent confirmed I could claim my grandmother as a dependent even though she lives with my uncle, as long as I provide more than half her support and document everything properly. They suggested keeping a detailed spreadsheet of all expenses I cover throughout the year, including medical bills, clothing, food I purchase, etc. Also recommended getting a signed statement from my uncle acknowledging my financial support. Totally worth it!

I've been claiming my cousin with special needs for 3 years now even though he lives with his mom. One thing nobody mentioned yet - you'll need to file Form 8332 if your siblings qualify! That tripped me up the first time. Also, keep REALLY good records of every penny you contribute. My cousin's mom had to sign a statement confirming I provided over half support. The IRS questioned it once and having all those records saved me big time.

Has anyone considered a multiple support agreement? I was in a similar situation where me and my brother both supported our disabled sister. Neither of us provided more than 50% alone, but together we provided over 100% of her support. We used Form 2120 and alternated who claimed her each year.

This is such a helpful thread! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my disabled brother. One thing I wanted to add that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your siblings receive any government benefits like SSI or SSDI, make sure to check if those count toward their "gross income" for the qualifying relative test. From what I understand, SSI payments generally don't count as taxable income, but SSDI might depending on the total amount and other factors. This could affect whether your working sibling exceeds that $4,700 income threshold. Also, Diego, since you mentioned your father only receives Social Security and doesn't file taxes, you might want to confirm he's not eligible to claim them first before you do. Even if he doesn't file, he might still have the right to claim them as dependents if he wanted to file. Keep detailed records of everything - I use a spreadsheet tracking every expense I cover for my brother throughout the year. Makes tax time so much easier!