Qualifying Child dependent rules: Can my boyfriend claim my child if he supported us?

Tax professional here. This depends on several factors. The key requirements for your boyfriend to claim your daughter are: 1) She must live with him for more than half the year 2) He must provide more than half of her support 3) She must be under 19 or a full-time student under 24 4) She can't provide more than half of her own support. Even if he meets these, as the biological parent you have first right to claim her unless you release your claim.

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im in the same boat! my gf's kid lives with us and i pay everything. we learned the hard way last year when both tried to claim him lol

Not a tax pro but pretty sure unmarried partners cant claim each others kids... might wanna double check that

y'all should just get married tbh makes taxes way easier js 💅

Another thing to consider - make sure you understand the difference between a "qualifying child" and "qualifying relative" for tax purposes. Since your daughter is 6 and lived with you both all year, she'd likely be considered a qualifying child if your boyfriend provided more than half her support. But as others mentioned, you as the biological parent have the first right to claim her. The Form 8332 is definitely the way to go if you want to release that claim. Also worth noting that whoever claims her can potentially get the Child Tax Credit too, which could be significant depending on income levels.

I'd also recommend checking if your boyfriend qualifies for Head of Household filing status if he claims your daughter. Since he's been supporting both of you and your daughter lived there all year, he might be eligible which could lower his tax rate significantly. Just make sure he understands that claiming a dependent is a serious responsibility - the IRS can audit and request proof of support, so keep all those receipts for rent, food, medical expenses, etc. Also worth mentioning that if you're receiving any government benefits based on being a single parent, releasing your claim to him could potentially affect those benefits, so double check that too.