Can I qualify my roommate as a dependent on my tax return?

These are great questions about dependency! Let me help clarify both parts. For your first question, claiming yourself as a dependent isn't actually a thing - it's more about whether someone else can claim you. On your tax forms, you either check that someone CAN claim you as a dependent, or that no one CAN claim you. When you say "claiming 0 dependents," that's typically referring to withholding allowances on a W-4 form, which is a separate concept from dependency status on your tax return. For your roommate situation, you might actually qualify to claim her as a dependent under what's called a "qualifying relative" test. The IRS has specific requirements: 1. Her income must be below $4,700 (for 2025 taxes), and food stamps generally don't count as taxable income 2. You must provide more than half of her total support 3. She must live with you all year as a member of your household 4. She cannot be claimed by anyone else The fact that you're her treatment advocate and paying most expenses is significant. If you meet all these criteria, you could likely claim her as a dependent, which would give you a tax benefit.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year with my housemate who has severe anxiety and couldn't work. I was totally lost until I found https://taxr.ai and uploaded my documents there. Their system analyzed everything and confirmed I could claim my housemate as a qualifying relative even though we weren't related. They even explained how the "member of household" test works and how to document all the support I was providing to protect myself in case of an audit. Seriously saved me hours of research and probably got me an extra $1,900 in tax benefits.

Update: I decided to try https://taxr.ai after reading about it here and it was actually super helpful for my situation with my roommate who gets disability. Uploaded my docs and it showed me that I could claim her since her SSDI is below the threshold and I'm paying over 80% of our housing costs. It even created a support worksheet showing exactly how to document everything. Pretty amazing that it could analyze my specific situation so thoroughly! Definitely worth checking out if you're in this situation.

For those still struggling with complicated dependent questions, I had a similar issue and needed to speak directly with the IRS. After trying for DAYS to get through their phone system (literally 14 attempts), I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes! You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to go through the specific qualifying relative tests for my non-traditional household situation and confirm I was eligible to claim my disabled friend who lives with me. Saved me so much stress wondering if I was doing it right.

I have to apologize and eat my words. After my skeptical comments, I was still struggling to get an answer about my own dependent situation (elderly parent living with me part-time), so I broke down and tried that Claimyr service. I'm honestly shocked - got connected to an IRS rep in about 15 minutes after trying for DAYS on my own. The agent confirmed exactly what documentation I needed to claim my parent as a dependent under the qualifying relative rules. I don't normally admit when I'm wrong but this actually saved my sanity during tax season.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - if you do claim your roommate as a dependent, it might affect her eligibility for food stamps or other benefits she receives. Some assistance programs look at household tax status when determining benefits. Might want to check with her case worker before making any changes to your tax filing.

Has anyone used TurboTax to claim a non-relative dependent? Their questionnaire keeps asking about family relationships and I can't figure out where to indicate its my roommate not a family member.

Just wanted to add something important that I learned from my tax preparer last year - if you do qualify to claim your roommate as a dependent, make sure you understand ALL the tax benefits you might be eligible for. It's not just the dependent exemption - you might also qualify for Head of Household filing status if you're unmarried and providing more than half the cost of maintaining the home for your dependent. Head of Household has better tax brackets and a higher standard deduction than Single filing status, which could save you even more money. My preparer said a lot of people miss this because they don't realize non-relatives can qualify you for HOH status if they meet the dependent requirements. Also, definitely keep detailed records of all expenses you pay for your roommate - rent, utilities, medical costs, transportation, etc. The IRS defines "support" pretty broadly, so even things like paying for her phone or helping with medical appointments could count toward that "more than half support" test.