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

Thanks so much for this response! A couple follow-up questions... For calculating the "more than half their support" test, would I need to put a dollar value on the housing my dad provides? And if my sibling who works makes about $9,000 a year, that would disqualify them right? But I could still potentially claim my other sibling?

Yes, you would need to assign a fair rental value to the housing your father provides as part of calculating total support. Add up everything - housing, food, utilities, clothing, medical expenses, etc. from all sources, then determine if your contribution exceeds 50% of that total. For your working sibling making $9,000, unfortunately that exceeds the income limit for qualifying relatives, so you couldn't claim them for 2025. However, you could potentially still claim your non-working sibling if you provide more than half their total support and they meet the other tests.

Does taxr.ai actually have real people review your situation or is it just an algorithm? I'm nervous about sharing financial docs with random websites.

I looked at the site but couldn't tell if it covered this specific situation. Did it specifically address the "not living with you" part for qualifying relatives? My uncle has disabilities and lives with my parents but I pay for almost everything.

It's an AI system that analyzes your documents, not humans reviewing them. They have pretty good security protocols from what I could tell, and they don't store your documents after analysis. I was hesitant at first too. The tool specifically addressed the "not living with you" scenario in my case. It helped me calculate the total support provided, including putting a fair value on the housing my aunt provided, and determined I was still providing over 50% of my brother's total support through all my other contributions. It even created a support worksheet I could use if I ever got audited.

Wait, how does that even work? The IRS never answers their phones. I've literally tried calling dozens of times about my dependent situation and always get the "high call volume" message.

This sounds like BS honestly. There's no way to "skip the line" with the IRS. They're understaffed and overwhelmed. If there was some magic way to get through, everyone would be using it. Probably just some scam trying to get your money.

It's a callback service that uses their system to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold for you. When they get through to a real person, they call and connect you. I was skeptical at first too. I'm not sure exactly how it works technically, but they do something with multiple calls and timing that somehow gets through. I was surprised too, but I literally had tried calling for 3 days straight with no luck, then used their service and was talking to someone in about 15 minutes. The IRS person was super helpful with my specific questions about proving support for a dependent who doesn't live with me.

Thanks for bringing up Form 8332! I'm a bit confused though - isn't that form specifically for divorced or separated parents claiming children? Would that apply to my situation with adult siblings?

You're absolutely right, and I confused the forms - sorry about that! Form 8332 is for the custodial parent releasing claim to the child exemption. In your case with adult siblings, you don't need Form 8332. Instead, you should document your support with detailed records of all financial assistance you provide. Keep receipts, bank statements, and get a signed statement from your father acknowledging your support. If your siblings qualify as "qualifying relatives" under the tests mentioned earlier, you can claim them without special forms - just be prepared to prove the support test if asked.

This is actually a great point! Multiple support agreements can be really helpful when several people contribute. My family does this for my aunt - we all pitch in but no one person hits 50%.

This is really valuable information about SSI vs SSDI! I hadn't thought about how different types of disability benefits might be treated differently for tax purposes. You make a great point about confirming with my father first too. Even though he doesn't currently file, I should probably have that conversation to make sure we're not stepping on each other's toes. Better to sort that out upfront than deal with issues later. The spreadsheet idea is brilliant - I've been keeping receipts but not in any organized way. Do you track things like a percentage of utilities or groceries when you buy things that benefit your brother? I'm trying to figure out how detailed I need to get with the support calculation.

Great question about tracking expenses! For my spreadsheet, I do break down shared expenses proportionally. For example, if I buy groceries that benefit both my brother and the family he lives with, I estimate what percentage went to his needs specifically. Same with utilities - if I pay the electric bill for the house, I calculate roughly what portion supports him. I also track direct expenses separately (his medications, clothing, medical appointments, etc.) since those are easier to attribute 100% to his support. The key is being reasonable and consistent with your estimates. I keep notes explaining my calculations in case I ever need to justify them. One tip - take photos of receipts with your phone right away. I learned this the hard way when some of my paper receipts faded over the year! Also, if you pay for anything online for them, save those email confirmations and screenshots of the transactions.