What does it mean when someone says they can claim me on their taxes? First time filer questions
Hey everyone, so I'm 20 and totally new to this whole tax thing. I've actually never filed taxes before but I really want to learn how it all works. My mom mentioned something about "claiming me" on her taxes this year and I'm not sure what that means or if that affects me filing my own return. I started my first job at a coffee shop 6 months ago and they gave me some W-2 form which I guess is important? Can anyone explain what it means when someone says they can "claim you" on their taxes and if I should be filing my own return anyway? Super confused about all this tax terminology!
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Paolo Moretti
When someone says they can "claim you" on their taxes, they're talking about claiming you as a dependent. This means they're telling the IRS that they provide more than half of your financial support (food, housing, education, etc.). Being claimed as a dependent affects your own tax filing. If your mom claims you, you'll need to check the box on your tax return that says "Someone can claim you as a dependent." This means you can't claim certain tax benefits for yourself, like the standard deduction amount that non-dependents get. Even if your mom claims you, you should still file your own return if you earned income from your job. Based on your W-2 (which shows your earnings and taxes withheld), you might get a refund for taxes taken from your paychecks. The W-2 is super important - it's what you'll use to file your return.
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Keisha Jackson
•Thanks for explaining! So if my mom claims me, can I still get money back from what they took out of my paychecks? I made about $8,500 last year at the coffee shop.
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Paolo Moretti
•Yes, you can still get a refund even if your mom claims you as a dependent. The taxes withheld from your paychecks are separate from your dependent status. If you earned $8,500, you'll likely get back most or all of the federal income tax that was withheld because your income is relatively low. Filing your own return doesn't impact your mom's ability to claim you as long as you meet the dependent criteria (like if she provides more than half your support and you live with her at least half the year). Just make sure to check that box saying you can be claimed as a dependent when you file.
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Amina Diop
I was totally confused about tax filing too when I was your age! After spending hours on confusing IRS pages, I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which totally saved me. I uploaded my W-2 and answered a few questions, and it explained exactly what being claimed as a dependent meant for my situation. The site breaks down all those confusing terms like "dependent" vs "independent" and shows you what deductions you qualify for even when someone else claims you. Way better than asking my parents who just made me more confused lol.
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Oliver Weber
•Does it actually explain stuff or just file for you? I'm also a dependent and need help understanding what that means for my student loan interest deduction.
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Natasha Romanova
•Sounds interesting but I'm kinda skeptical. How does it handle the dependent situation specifically? Like does it stop you from claiming things you're not eligible for?
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Amina Diop
•It actually explains everything while you go through the process - there are little info buttons that define each term and show what applies to your situation. It pointed out that as a dependent I couldn't take the full standard deduction but could still get back my withholding. For student loan interest, it specifically flagged that I couldn't take that deduction since I was being claimed as a dependent. It prevents you from claiming things you're not eligible for by asking about your dependent status upfront and then adjusting available deductions accordingly.
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Natasha Romanova
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai - it was actually super helpful for my dependent situation! I uploaded my W-2 and it immediately flagged that I needed to check if I was being claimed by my parents. When I confirmed I was a dependent, it adjusted my filing accordingly but still found me a decent refund from my part-time job. The explanations about what I could and couldn't claim made wayyy more sense than the IRS website. Kinda wish I'd known about this last year when I filed wrong and had to do an amendment!
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NebulaNinja
If you're having trouble understanding dependent status or other tax questions, you might need to actually speak with someone at the IRS. I tried calling them for WEEKS with no luck until I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Literally got me through to an IRS agent in 15 minutes after spending days trying on my own. The agent explained exactly how dependent claiming works and what forms I needed as a first-time filer.
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Keisha Jackson
•Wait how does that even work? I tried calling the IRS once and gave up after being on hold forever. Do you just pay them to wait on hold for you or something?
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Javier Gomez
•Sounds like a scam tbh. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS when I can just look stuff up online? The IRS isn't THAT hard to reach.
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NebulaNinja
•It basically calls the IRS for you and navigates all those annoying phone menus, then holds your place in line. When an actual IRS agent is about to pick up, it calls you so you can join the call. No more waiting on hold for hours! I totally get the skepticism - I felt the same way. But after trying to call the IRS myself six different times and getting disconnected each time, I was desperate. The online info wasn't addressing my specific situation as a dependent who also had a small business. The IRS agent I spoke to gave me personalized advice that saved me from making a costly mistake.
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Javier Gomez
Ok I need to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my last tax return got flagged because I filed wrong (I claimed myself while my parents also claimed me), I tried calling the IRS three times this week with no luck. Used Claimyr yesterday and got through in about 25 minutes. The agent explained exactly what happens when both you and your parents try to claim you (spoiler: nothing good) and helped me fix my previous return. Definitely worth it to speak to an actual human who could answer my specific questions about being claimed as a dependent.
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Emma Wilson
Hey! Something I learned the hard way - if your parents claim you AND you file your own return, make absolutely sure you check the "Someone can claim you as dependent" box on your tax form! I didn't do this last year, the IRS caught it, and both my return and my mom's got delayed for months while they sorted it out. Also make sure you understand if you qualify as a dependent - there are age limits and income tests involved.
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Keisha Jackson
•Oh that's good to know! What happens if I check that box but my mom decides not to claim me after all? Would I lose out on money I could've gotten?
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Emma Wilson
•If you check the box saying you can be claimed as a dependent but then your mom doesn't actually claim you, you've potentially left money on the table. In that case, you could file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to change your status and claim the full standard deduction and any credits you might be eligible for. If you're unsure whether your mom will claim you, it's best to communicate with her before either of you files. The safest approach is to wait until she decides, or even file after she does, so you know for certain what your status should be. This prevents having to amend returns later, which can be a hassle.
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Malik Thomas
As someone who works seasonal tax prep, the easiest way to find out if you're a dependent is to ask these questions: 1) Did you live with your mom for more than half the year? 2) Did she provide more than half your financial support? 3) Are you under 24 and a full-time student OR under 19? 4) Did you make less than $4,400 in 2023? If yes to all these, you're probably a dependent. If no to any, you might be able to file independently!
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Keisha Jackson
•This is really helpful! I did live with my mom all year and she paid the rent/groceries, but I'm 20 and not in school (just working). Does that change things?
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Zainab Ismail
•Since you're 20 and not a student, you'd need to meet the "qualifying relative" test instead of the "qualifying child" test. The key factors are: 1) You made less than $4,400 (which you did at $8,500, so this might disqualify you as a dependent), 2) Your mom provided more than half your total support, and 3) You lived with her all year. Given that you earned $8,500, you might actually not qualify as a dependent anymore! This means you could potentially file as independent and get a larger standard deduction. Definitely worth having your mom double-check this with a tax professional before either of you files.
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