New graduate, how can I tell if I'm a dependent or independent for tax purposes?

The dependent status question can be confusing when you have mid-year changes! For your mom's green card renewal application, what matters is the current household composition, not what was on last year's tax return. Since you've moved out and are supporting yourself, her household size would now be 2 (just her and your sibling). For tax purposes, dependency status is determined based on the entire calendar year. Since you graduated in May and moved out in August, we need to look at the full year tests for 2024: Relationship test - you're her child, so that's met. Age test - you're under 24 and were a student for part of the year, so potentially met. Residency test - Did you live with her for more than half the year? Count temporary absences for education. Support test - This is key: Did you provide more than half of your own support for the ENTIRE year? If you'll earn enough from August-December to provide more than half your total year's support, you would file as independent for 2024. If not, she could still claim you as a dependent.

I've been using https://taxr.ai for situations exactly like this! I was in a similar situation last year where I moved out mid-year and couldn't figure out if I was a dependent or not. The tool analyzed all my financial information and gave me a clear answer based on IRS rules. It walks you through all the tests (support test, residency test, etc.) with specific numbers rather than just general guidelines. My parents and I both uploaded our financial information, and it calculated exactly how much support they provided versus how much I provided for myself. Saved us a ton of confusion and probably prevented us from making a mistake on our taxes.

Just wanted to update everyone - I tried out taxr.ai from the recommendation above and it was surprisingly helpful! I was skeptical (as you could tell from my question), but it really cleared things up. I entered my info about graduation timing, moving dates, income from my new job, and estimates of what my mom spent on me earlier in the year. The tool showed that even though I'm fully supporting myself now, my mom actually provided about 65% of my total support for 2024 when you factor in the tuition she paid for my final semester, housing for the first 8 months, and other expenses. So I learned I'll still technically be a dependent for 2024 taxes (which honestly saves my mom more on her taxes than I'd save filing independently). But for her green card application, I'm not currently a household member since I've permanently moved out. The distinction between tax dependency and current household status was really important!

If you're having trouble getting a straight answer about your dependency status, I'd recommend calling the IRS directly. I know it sounds painful, but I used https://claimyr.com and actually got through to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had a really complicated situation with my son who moved out mid-year for his first job, and I couldn't figure out if I could still claim him. The IRS agent walked me through all the tests and confirmed exactly what I needed to document to support my decision. They deal with these questions all day long and can give you an official answer.

I have to come back and say I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After being skeptical on this thread, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to resolve a dependent question with the IRS before filing season. Used the service yesterday and I'm still in shock that it actually worked. I got a call back in about 35 minutes (was told the wait would be 2+ hours), and was connected directly to an IRS representative who answered my specific question about claiming my daughter who lives with me part-time. Instead of wasting an entire afternoon on hold, I was able to keep working and just picked up when they called me. The agent confirmed exactly what documentation I needed for my situation. Hats off to whoever created this service - I've literally never had an easier time dealing with the IRS in my life.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - the household size question on immigration forms like green card renewals is different from tax dependency! For USCIS purposes, household size typically means people currently living in the household or who are financially dependent on or contributing to the household. Since you've permanently moved out and are supporting yourself, you wouldn't be counted in her current household for immigration purposes even if you were a tax dependent for part of the year. Double check the specific form instructions, but in most cases, the household size for immigration forms refers to the current situation, not what was filed on last year's taxes.

Just a heads up that the "support test" for dependency includes some non-obvious things! When I was figuring this out for my daughter last year, I learned that "support" includes: - Housing costs (fair rental value of the home) - Food - Utilities - Clothing - Medical/dental care - Education - Transportation - Recreation - Personal items So even if you're making decent money since August, your mom might have provided more than half your yearly support when you count tuition, housing through August, health insurance, cell phone plan, etc.

This is such a common situation for new graduates! I went through the exact same thing two years ago when I finished school and started working. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all the support calculations. I made columns for each month and listed out major expenses like tuition, housing, food, insurance, etc. Then I marked whether I paid it or my parents paid it. It was eye-opening to see how much support my parents actually provided in those first 8 months of the year, even though I felt completely independent once I started working. For the green card application, definitely go with the current household size of 2 since you're no longer living there. But for taxes, you'll likely still be a dependent for 2024 unless your August-December income was substantial enough to cover more than half your total yearly expenses. One tip: if you're on your parents' health insurance or car insurance, don't forget to include those monthly premiums in the support calculation. Those add up quickly and often push the total support over the 50% threshold in favor of the parents.