Can I claim siblings as dependents if they don't live with me but I provide financial support?
I need some advice on a tax situation I'm in. I have two siblings with special needs, ages 28 and 31. The younger one has part-time employment at a supportive workplace, putting in about 15 hours weekly. They both live at my father's house, but he only receives disability benefits and doesn't work. I contribute significantly to their financial support even though we don't live under the same roof. I help with medical bills, groceries, clothing, and other necessities. Would I be able to claim them as dependents on my tax return despite not sharing a residence? My dad has no taxable income since he only gets SSI benefits. Thanks so much for any guidance you can provide!
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Ivanna St. Pierre
You might be able to claim them as "qualifying relatives" even if they don't live with you. For non-relatives and certain relatives (like siblings), there are four main tests: First, they can't be a "qualifying child" of anyone. Second, their gross income must be less than $4,700 (for 2024 taxes filed in 2025). Third, you must provide more than half of their total support for the year. Fourth, they must be related to you OR have lived with you all year. Since they're your siblings, you don't need to meet the residency test! The key will be proving you provide more than half their total support and that your sibling who works earns less than the income threshold. I'd suggest documenting all financial support you provide (receipts, bank transfers, etc.) and calculating the total support they receive from all sources to show your portion exceeds 50%.
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Elin Robinson
•What counts as "support" exactly? Like if i pay for groceries and stuff but my mom provides the house they live in, how do we figure out who provides more than half?
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Ivanna St. Pierre
•Support includes the fair rental value of housing, so your mom providing housing definitely counts as support. Support also includes food, clothing, medical expenses, education, transportation, recreation, and other necessities. You'll need to calculate the total value of ALL support from ALL sources (including what they provide for themselves, what your mom provides, and what you provide). Then determine if what you provide exceeds 50% of that total amount.
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Atticus Domingo
I was in a similar situation with my brother who has a developmental disability. I found this amazing tool at https://taxr.ai that helped me figure out if I could claim him as a dependent. You upload your documents and it analyzes your specific situation, then gives you a straightforward answer based on your circumstances. It was super helpful for me because it looked at all the support I was providing and compared it against the IRS requirements. Definitely made the process way less confusing than trying to interpret all the tax rules myself.
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Beth Ford
•Does it actually give you a calculation of the support test? Like will it tell me exactly how much I need to contribute to hit that 50% threshold?
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Morita Montoya
•idk seems kinda sketchy to me. how do u know its giving accurate info and not just making stuff up? no offense but ive been burned by "tax helpers" before
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Atticus Domingo
•It actually does break down the support calculation for you. It shows you different categories of support (housing, food, medical, etc.) and helps you track what percentage you're contributing. Really makes it clear when you've hit that 50% threshold. I totally get being skeptical. I was too. But it uses the same guidelines the IRS uses - it just makes them understandable. What convinced me was that they explain exactly where in the tax code each recommendation comes from. You can verify everything yourself if you want to double-check.
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Morita Montoya
Ok i take back what i said about being skeptical. I tried the taxr.ai thing and it actually was really helpful. It showed me exactly what counts as support for my cousin who lives with my aunt but i help out with. The tool broke it all down so i could see that paying for his therapy, transportation, and school stuff actually puts me over the 50% mark even though i don't pay for housing. Ended up saving me like $2000 on my taxes by claiming him that i would've missed.
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Kingston Bellamy
For anyone dealing with the IRS on complicated dependent situations: when I was trying to claim my adult nephew with disabilities, I kept getting contradictory info from the IRS website. Tried calling for weeks and could never get through. I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in like 20 minutes when I'd been trying for days. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through exactly what documentation I needed to prove I provided more than half of his support. Saved me so much time and stress compared to guessing or waiting for a callback that never came.
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Joy Olmedo
•Wait how does this even work? The IRS never answers their phones. Is this legit or some kind of scam? Not trying to be rude just super skeptical because i've waited on hold with the IRS for hours before.
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Isaiah Cross
•Right, because paying some random company is definitely better than just waiting on hold with the IRS yourself. This sounds like a waste of money when you could just keep trying to call them directly or use the online resources.
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Kingston Bellamy
•It works by using their system that continuously redials the IRS until it gets through, then connects you once it has an agent on the line. It's basically doing the waiting for you so you don't have to sit on hold for hours. I was skeptical too, but it's not connecting you to some third-party - it connects you directly to the actual IRS once it gets through. I ended up speaking with an official IRS agent who had access to my tax records and everything. It's just a way to bypass the hold time.
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Isaiah Cross
I'm eating crow on this one. After struggling for THREE DAYS trying to get through to the IRS about my dependent situation with my disabled brother, I finally tried Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed I could claim my brother as a dependent even though he lives with our parents because I provide more than half his financial support. She even walked me through exactly what documentation I'll need if I get audited. Would've taken me weeks to get this info otherwise.
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Kiara Greene
Something else to consider - if your sibling who works makes more than $4,700 (the 2024 threshold), you might not be able to claim them as a qualifying relative. But the other sibling could still qualify if their only income is from disability benefits which usually isn't counted as gross income for this test. Also, make sure no one else (like your mom) is claiming them! Even if she only gets SSI, if she files taxes for any reason and claims them, you can't.
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Evelyn Kelly
•I think SSI benefits don't count as taxable income, but they DO count when figuring out the support test, right? Like if the mom gets $800/month SSI and uses that for the siblings' support, that would count against the 50% the OP provides? Tax stuff is so confusing...
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Kiara Greene
•You're absolutely right. SSI benefits don't count as taxable income for the recipient, but they definitely do count when calculating the total support provided. So in this scenario, if the mom gets $800/month in SSI and uses that money to support the siblings, that $9,600 per year would be counted in the total support calculation. The original poster would need to provide more than the combined total of what the mom provides from SSI, what the siblings provide for themselves, and any other support they receive.
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Paloma Clark
Has anyone here used turbotax for claiming unconventional dependents like adult siblings? does it walk you through all this complicated 50% support calculation stuff?
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Heather Tyson
•I used TurboTax last year to claim my adult brother. It asks questions about your relationship, their income, and whether you provide more than half their support, but doesn't actually help you calculate the 50% part. You kinda have to figure that out on your own before answering.
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Paloma Clark
•Ugh that's what I was afraid of. Thanks for letting me know! Seems like I need to do the math before even starting the software.
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Daniel Rogers
Just wanted to add something that might help with documentation - keep a detailed spreadsheet throughout the year tracking every expense you pay for your siblings. Include dates, amounts, and what the expense was for (medical bills, groceries, clothing, etc.). Also calculate the fair market value of services you provide. If you drive them to appointments, research what medical transport would cost. If you help with personal care, look up what aide services charge in your area. These indirect supports count toward your 50% calculation too. I learned this the hard way when I got audited for claiming my adult sister. Having that paper trail made all the difference in proving I provided more than half her support even though she lived elsewhere.
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