Can my mom still claim me as a dependent after graduation and full-time job?

I graduated back in May 2024, got a full-time job and moved into my own place in July 2024. My mom covered my college tuition and paid my rent through May. Since July, I've been completely financially independent - paying my own rent and all expenses with no support from her. I made around $53k in 2024 from my job. I'm 22 years old now. I'm trying to figure out if she can still claim me as a dependent on her taxes for 2024 given this situation. Also wondering what benefits I might get if she doesn't claim me? Are there tax credits or deductions I'd be eligible for on my own return if she doesn't claim me as a dependent? This is my first time doing taxes with a real job and I'm confused about how this works.

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20 comments

Brian Downey

•8M

Based on your situation, your mom probably can't claim you as a dependent for 2024. The IRS has two tests for claiming an adult child as a dependent - the Qualifying Child test and the Qualifying Relative test. For the Qualifying Child test: You're under 24 and a full-time student for at least part of 5 months (which you were through May), but you fail the support test because you provided more than half of your own support for the year overall. With a $53k income and being self-supporting since July, you likely provided more than half of your total 2024 support. For the Qualifying Relative test: Your income is too high. This test requires the dependent's income to be less than $4,700 for 2024, and you're well above that. As for benefits if she doesn't claim you - you'll be able to claim your personal exemption, potentially qualify for education credits if you paid any school expenses yourself, and possibly qualify for other credits like the Earned Income Credit depending on your specific situation.

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Brian Downey

•8M

You're actually right about how the support test works. The test is whether the parent provided more than half of your support, not whether you provided more than half your own. I should have been more precise. The key calculation would be adding up all your support costs for the entire year (tuition, housing, food, medical, etc.) and determining if your mom provided more than 50% of that total. If she paid tuition and housing through May, but you've been completely self-sufficient since July, you'd need to calculate whether her contributions from January-May exceed your contributions from July-December. With tuition involved, it's actually possible she still provided more than half your total yearly support despite you being independent since July.

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Landon Flounder

•8M

Just wanted to share my experience - I was in almost exactly your situation last year and ended up using https://taxr.ai to help figure this out. You upload your documents and their AI explains your tax situation in simple language. I was also confused about dependency status after graduating and starting a job mid-year. The tool analyzed my situation and explained that my mom couldn't claim me because I failed the gross income test (I made too much money) even though she paid my tuition for part of the year. It saved us from making a mistake that might have triggered an audit. The benefit was that I could claim education credits for the tuition I paid myself (not what my mom paid) and got a better refund than expected!

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Landon Flounder

•8M

It's surprisingly accurate - it's not connected directly to the IRS but uses the same rules and regulations the IRS follows. You upload your documents (W-2s, 1099s, tuition statements) and it analyzes them based on current tax law. I double-checked its advice with a family friend who's an accountant and he confirmed it was correct. For complicated situations, it actually works even better because it can process all the details at once. The system handles investment income, education expenses, and financial aid situations. For your semester abroad, it would analyze how the financial aid impacts your dependency status and any foreign income implications.

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Ally Tailer

•8M

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here. I was skeptical but uploaded my W-2 and 1098-T (tuition statement), and it immediately identified that I couldn't be claimed as a dependent because of my income level, even though I lived with my parents during school breaks. It also found an education credit I qualified for that I wouldn't have known about otherwise! I showed the results to my parents and they agreed they shouldn't claim me this year. Honestly saved us a potential headache with the IRS and got me an extra $1,500 on my refund that I wouldn't have known I qualified for.

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Aliyah Debovski

•8M

If you're still having trouble figuring this out, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly to get a definitive answer based on your exact situation. I know that sounds like a nightmare, but I used https://claimyr.com to get through to an agent in about 15 minutes when the estimated wait time was over 3 hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had a similar dependency question last year after graduating and starting a job, and the IRS agent was actually super helpful in explaining exactly how to calculate the support test and what forms I needed. They walked me through the whole calculation process. Totally changed my view of the IRS honestly - they do actually want to help you get it right!

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Aliyah Debovski

•8M

It's actually pretty simple - the service uses an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. Once an agent picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to them. It saved me hours of waiting on hold. It's not sketchy at all - you're still talking directly to an actual IRS agent, the service just handles the waiting part for you. I was suspicious too until I tried it. It's basically like having someone else wait in line for you.

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Cass Green

•8M

I was totally wrong about this! I broke down and tried Claimyr after seeing it mentioned here because I was desperate to talk to someone about a dependent issue similar to yours. The service actually worked exactly as described - I got a call back in about 20 minutes connecting me to an IRS agent. The agent confirmed that in my case (similar to yours), my parents couldn't claim me as a dependent because I made too much money, even though they paid my tuition for part of the year. The agent explained I qualified for American Opportunity Credit for the education expenses I paid myself. Saved me from making a mistake on my return and potentially getting audited. Wish I'd known about this service years ago!

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Finley Garrett

•8M

Crazy how similar our situations are! I graduated May 2023, got a job in June making about $58k, and moved out in July. I couldn't be claimed because: 1) I made too much $ to be a qualifying relative 2) I provided more than half my own support for the year (calculated all expenses) Benefits I got from filing independently: - Claimed standard deduction ($13,850 for 2023) - Got partial American Opportunity Credit for the portion of tuition I paid - Earned Income Credit Do the calculation on total support for the year. Add ALL expenses (tuition, rent, food, medical, utilities, etc.) then figure out who paid more than half.

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Finley Garrett

•8M

You've got the right approach. You need to add up ALL support for the entire year - so everything from January through December. For your specific case: If your mom paid $24k for tuition plus any other expenses during January-May, and you've paid $18k from May-December, then your mom has provided more than half of your total yearly support. Based just on those numbers, she would likely be able to claim you if you meet the other tests (like being a full-time student for at least 5 months). Remember that "support" includes everything: tuition, rent, utilities, food, medical expenses, clothing, transportation costs, etc. Sometimes people forget to count all categories when doing this calculation.

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GalacticGuru

•5M

If your mom already filed claiming you as a dependent, you can still file your own return claiming yourself. You'll need to paper file (can't e-file) and the IRS will investigate to determine who has the right to claim you. It's not ideal because it delays processing, but you're not stuck waiting until next year. The IRS will contact both of you to resolve the discrepancy and whoever doesn't have the right to claim the dependency will need to file an amended return. Given your income level, you'd likely win that determination.

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