Can my girlfriend claim our 3 kids on taxes with only $4000 income this year?

8 Yes, your girlfriend can claim your children as dependents even with only $5300 in income, assuming a few conditions are met. The key factor isn't how much she earned, but whether the children qualify as her "qualifying children" under IRS rules. Since you both live together with the children, and you're not claiming them, she likely meets the relationship test (as they're her biological children), the residency test (they live with her), and the support test (which doesn't require her to provide most of the support, just that the children don't provide more than half of their own support). The age test is also met since they're all under 17. With her low income, she could potentially qualify for significant benefits including the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit, which could result in a substantial refund. The good news is that the Child Tax Credit is fully refundable for 2024 taxes filed in 2025, which means she can receive it even if she has no tax liability. I would suggest she file her taxes as soon as possible in January when tax season opens to get that refund quickly!

12 I was in almost the exact same situation last year! My partner made about $70k while I only worked part-time making around $7k total. I was hesitant to file taxes at all with such low income, but I decided to check out https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and it totally changed my situation. The tool analyzed our household situation and showed me that I qualified for thousands in refundable tax credits by claiming our kids, even with my tiny income! It walked me through exactly which credits applied (Earned Income Credit was huge), and how to properly document our living situation since we're not married. The system even flagged that I qualified for the Child and Dependent Care Credit for daycare expenses, which I had no idea about. Honestly, with such a complicated tax situation and low income, having something that could analyze all my documents and explain everything made a massive difference.

21 Just wanted to update - I tried using taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and I'm honestly shocked at the difference it made. My situation was similar (I only made about $6200 last year with two kids). I was about to just let my ex claim the kids since I figured my income was too low to matter, but the tool showed me I was eligible for almost $9,800 in refundable credits! The Earned Income Credit alone was huge, and then the Child Tax Credit on top of that. What really helped was how it walked me through the residency requirements and showed me exactly how to document that the kids lived with me most of the year. It even created a letter of support from my landlord that I could use if needed. Filed three weeks ago and my refund hit my account yesterday!

7 If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS to check on dependent claiming rules or your refund status, I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS about a similar dependent situation last year, just getting disconnected or told to call back later. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. They have this clever system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is actually ready. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed that my girlfriend could claim our children even with very low income, and explained exactly which forms and documentation we'd need if we ever got audited. Saved me so much stress and probably helped us get an extra $7,000+ in tax credits we might have missed!

16 I was super skeptical about Claimyr when I first saw it recommended here. Paying to get through to a government agency I should be able to reach for free? Seemed like a scam. But after trying for TWO MONTHS to reach someone at the IRS about my ex claiming our kids (when they live with me full-time), I gave in and tried it. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best money I've spent all year. Within 30 minutes I was talking to an actual helpful IRS representative who confirmed I had the right to claim my kids and walked me through filing the proper paper return to correct the situation. The IRS agent even helped me set up an Identity Protection PIN so my ex can't claim them again next year without my permission. I've now received my full refund with all applicable child credits, which is helping me catch up on bills from last year. Sometimes you have to spend a little to get what you're entitled to.

3 Another important thing to consider - if your girlfriend claims the kids with such low income, she might qualify for other government benefits too. When I was in a similar situation, my tax refund helped me qualify for education grants that completely covered my associate's degree. Make sure she also checks if this will affect any benefits she's already receiving. Sometimes a big tax refund can temporarily push you over income limits for certain programs, so plan accordingly!

14 Just to add another perspective - I was in your girlfriend's exact situation in 2022. I only made about $5800 that year while my boyfriend supported us and our twins. I claimed both kids and received almost $11,000 in tax refunds through EIC, Child Tax Credit, and Recovery Rebate Credit (that was during Covid). The only issue we ran into was that my boyfriend had already claimed one of our kids the previous year, so the IRS flagged our returns for review. We had to submit extra paperwork showing our living situation had changed, but ultimately everything was approved. Just document everything - keep records showing the kids live with you both (school records, medical records), proof of your address, etc. Better safe than sorry!