Can my parents claim me as a dependent if I graduated and work full-time?
I'm 24 and graduated from university in May 2024. Last year, my parents didn't claim me on their taxes. But this year, they just informed me they plan to claim me as a dependent when we file. Can they actually do this?? Some context: I live about 2 hours away from them. We have a family member who handles all our tax filing. I just forwarded all my tax documents to my parents like W-2s and stuff, and they said they'd handle it (which is what we did while I was in college). It's been our routine for years. If they do end up claiming me, what are my options?? I really need whatever refund money I might get, and was told I wouldn't receive anything if they claim me as their dependent. I was a full-time student for part of this tax period, but since graduation I've been working full-time and honestly, any refund would make a huge difference right now. I'm feeling pretty stuck and confused about what to do, or if they're even eligible to claim me in the first place. Thanks for any help!
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Oliver Weber
There are specific rules about who can be claimed as a dependent. For your parents to claim you, you need to meet what's called the "qualifying child" test, which includes: 1. You must be under 19, or under 24 if you're a full-time student for at least 5 months of the year. Since you graduated in May 2024, you were likely a student for at least 5 months of 2024, so you could meet this part. 2. You must have lived with your parents for more than half the year. Living 2 hours away at college can count as "temporary absence," but if you've moved permanently, this could disqualify you. 3. You must not have provided more than half of your own financial support for the year. This includes housing, food, education, medical expenses, etc. 4. You cannot be filing a joint return (unless it's just to claim a refund). The most relevant factors for you are likely the support test and the residency test. If you've been supporting yourself with your full-time job for most of the year, your parents might not be eligible to claim you.
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FireflyDreams
•What if I was a student Jan-May, then worked full-time June-Dec? Does that change anything about the support test? Also, does it matter that they didn't claim me last year even though I was in school the whole time?
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Oliver Weber
•For the support test, we look at the entire year. So you'd need to calculate who provided more than 50% of your total support for all of 2024. This includes your housing, food, utilities, education expenses, medical costs, etc. If you paid for most of these yourself from June-December, and that amounts to more than what your parents provided January-May, you would fail the support test and they couldn't claim you. The fact that they didn't claim you last year doesn't impact this year's filing. Each tax year stands alone, so they could choose not to claim you one year and then claim you the next, as long as you meet all the tests for being a dependent in that specific year.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
I went through something similar and used https://taxr.ai to help figure out my situation. You can upload tax documents like your W-2s and it helps analyze your specific situation. My parents were also trying to claim me after I graduated and the tool helped me understand that they actually weren't eligible to claim me since I was providing more than half my support. The confirmation I got from the analysis was really helpful when I had to have that awkward conversation with my parents.
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Javier Morales
•Does this work if I haven't received all my tax forms yet? Like I'm still waiting on one of my 1099s but I want to figure out this dependency situation ASAP.
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Emma Anderson
•Idk sounds like just another tax service trying to get your personal info. How is this different from just using turbotax or something? They all have the dependent questionnaires built in.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•You can definitely use it even if you're missing some forms. The dependency rules analysis doesn't require every single document - just enough information to determine whether you provided more than half your support. You can always update later when you get everything. Yes, it's different from TurboTax because it specifically analyzes dependency situations and gives you documentation to support your case. TurboTax just asks questions, but taxr.ai actually provides analysis you can use if there's a disagreement. I liked having something concrete to show my parents rather than just my word against theirs.
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Emma Anderson
I actually tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and wow it was super helpful! I uploaded my W-2 and answered questions about my living situation and expenses. It gave me this detailed report showing I provided 68% of my own support last year, which meant my parents definitely couldn't claim me. I showed my mom the analysis and she actually agreed to back off. They ended up filing without claiming me and I got my full refund - about $1,400 that I really needed for rent. If your family member is doing your taxes, you might want to show them the analysis too before they file.
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Malik Thompson
If your parents end up filing incorrectly and claiming you when they shouldn't, you might need to contact the IRS. I had this exact problem and spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at the IRS. Finally discovered https://claimyr.com and used their service to get connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours on hold. They even have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The IRS agent walked me through exactly how to resolve the dependent dispute with my parents who had incorrectly claimed me. Totally worth it to get this resolved quickly.
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Isabella Ferreira
•How does this actually work? Like do they just have some special phone number to the IRS or something? I didn't know anyone could just call and get through to them that easily.
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CosmicVoyager
•Yeah right. Nobody gets through to the IRS that fast. I've literally spent hours on hold and sometimes they just hang up. What's the catch with this service? Seems too good to be true.
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Malik Thompson
•It's pretty simple - they basically stay on hold with the IRS for you using their system, and when an agent is about to pick up, they call you and connect you. No special phone number or secret access - they're just handling the painful wait time. There's honestly no catch - they just solved a really annoying problem. I was skeptical too but when I got connected to an actual IRS person after my phone rang, I was shocked. The agent was super helpful explaining how dependent disputes work and what forms I needed to file. Much better than the weeks of trying to call myself and getting nowhere.
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CosmicVoyager
Ok I'm eating my words here. After seeing that last comment I decided to try Claimyr because I've been trying to reach the IRS for THREE WEEKS about my parents incorrectly claiming me. Got connected to an agent in like 20 minutes! The agent confirmed that if I can prove I provided more than half my own support, my parents can't claim me regardless of what the family tax preparer says. They explained how to file my own return and what would happen (basically both returns get processed, then we both get letters asking for documentation). Having an actual plan now instead of stressing is such a relief.
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Ravi Kapoor
Just want to add - if your parents DO claim you and you know they shouldn't, you can still file your own return claiming yourself. The IRS will notice the conflict (someone claimed twice) and send notices to both of you. Then you'd need to provide documentation showing you provided more than half your support. The IRS will determine who's correct. So don't panic if they file first!
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Amina Toure
•If we both file and the IRS has to investigate, will that delay my refund? I'm really counting on getting that money soon and don't want to wait months for them to sort it out.
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Ravi Kapoor
•Yes, it will likely delay your refund. When the IRS detects someone claimed twice, they'll hold the refunds while they investigate. This can take several months to resolve, unfortunately. Your best option is to talk to your parents before either of you file and try to reach an agreement based on the actual IRS rules. Show them documentation of your expenses if needed to prove you supported yourself. Preventing the conflict is much faster than resolving it after filing.
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Freya Nielsen
Maybe try talking to your parents first? I had the same issue and just sat down with mine and showed them my expenses vs what they paid for me. They genuinely thought they could still claim me and didn't realize I was providing most of my own support. The conversation was actually fine once I showed them how the rules worked!
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Omar Mahmoud
•This! Communication is key. Most parents aren't trying to screw you over - they just don't understand the tax rules changed or that your situation is different now that you've graduated. Mine were claiming me out of habit because they'd done it for years.
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Sophia Bennett
I'm going through something similar right now! I'm 23 and graduated last spring, been working full-time since June. My parents also handle our family taxes and just assumed they could still claim me. What really helped me was actually calculating my expenses for the year - rent, groceries, car payments, insurance, etc. I was shocked to realize I was covering about 70% of my own costs! Once I showed my parents the breakdown, they understood they couldn't claim me anymore. One thing to consider - even if you were living at home or they were paying some expenses while you were in school (Jan-May), if your income from working full-time (June-Dec) covered more than half your total yearly support, then you provided more than half. Don't forget to include things like tuition payments, health insurance, phone bills, etc. in your calculations. Definitely have that conversation with your parents before anyone files. It's way easier to prevent the issue than deal with the IRS sorting it out later, which can take months and delay your refund.
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Teresa Boyd
•This is really helpful advice! I'm actually in a very similar boat - just graduated last year and my parents are used to claiming me. The calculation approach sounds smart. Did you use any specific method to track all your expenses, or just go through bank statements? I'm worried I might miss something important when I'm trying to prove I provided more than half my support. Also, when you had that conversation with your parents, did you bring printed documentation or just explain it verbally?
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