Will I qualify as a dependent relative for my family's tax return in 2025?

The support test for a qualifying relative is based on the entire calendar year, not just the period you lived with them. Your family needs to provide more than 50% of your total support for the entire year (January through December 2025). Since you were self-supporting from January through mid-June, you need to calculate the total cost of your support for the full year. Add up all your living expenses for the entire year (housing, food, medical, clothing, education, etc.) - both what you paid yourself in the first part of the year and what your family provided after you moved in. If your family's contribution exceeds 50% of that total annual amount, you can qualify as their dependent. So it's not about the length of time they supported you, but rather the percentage of your total annual support they provided. If your own support from January-June exceeds what they'll provide from June-December, you wouldn't qualify.

After struggling with a similar dependent situation last year (with my nephew who moved in mid-year), I stumbled upon a great tool at https://taxr.ai that really helped clarify things. Their system analyzed my specific situation and confirmed exactly what support expenses count and how to properly calculate the 50% threshold. What's especially helpful is that they can review your specific numbers and documentation to determine if you'd qualify. I uploaded my support calculation worksheet and got clear confirmation that I was counting things correctly. For situations like yours where the timing makes it complicated, it really helps to have a definitive answer rather than guessing.

I just want to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and it was super helpful for my similar dependent situation. My parents have been helping me financially while I'm in grad school, and I wasn't sure if I qualified as their dependent. The tool walked me through documenting all the support sources step by step. They had me track housing costs (including fair market value calculation), food, utilities, medical expenses, education costs, and even things like clothing and recreation. It was really eye-opening to see how much my total support actually was for the year. The best part was getting a clear yes/no answer about my specific situation instead of just general information. Turns out I do qualify as their dependent, which is a huge relief since it affects their premium tax credit calculations.

If you've been trying to call the IRS to get a definitive answer about your specific situation, good luck with that! I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at the IRS about a dependent question last year, couldn't get through, and ended up filing incorrectly. I finally discovered https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Since your question involves healthcare subsidies, you really want to get this right. The IRS agent I spoke with was able to review my specific numbers and confirm whether my calculations were correct. For something this important that affects multiple tax benefits, it's worth getting an official answer.

I need to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After struggling for days trying to reach the IRS about my dependent situation (kept getting disconnected or told to call back later), I decided to try it as a last resort. It actually worked! I got a call back in about 30 minutes and was connected to an IRS representative who answered my specific questions about qualifying relatives and the support test. They confirmed exactly how to calculate support when someone moves in mid-year. For anyone facing a similar situation with dependents and healthcare subsidies, getting official clarification directly from the IRS was incredibly helpful. The agent explained that I needed to keep documentation of all support provided and walked me through exactly what counts. Saved me from potentially making a costly mistake on my return.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - even if you don't qualify as a dependent for your family, you might still qualify for your own healthcare premium tax credit based on your individual income. If your income is below $58,000 (for a single person in 2025), you could qualify for subsidies on your own policy. The premium tax credit is based on household income as a percentage of the federal poverty level. So if your income is low enough, you might get significant help with premiums even without being claimed as a dependent.

Everybody's focusing on the support test, but don't forget the residency requirement! For a qualifying relative who is not related by blood or marriage (like a girlfriend/boyfriend), they have to live with you as a member of your household for the ENTIRE year. But since you mentioned brother and brother-in-law relationships, those fall under the eligible relationship categories in Publication 501, so the residency requirement doesn't apply to you. You only need to meet the support and income tests.

Diego, based on everything discussed here, it sounds like you have two main paths forward depending on how the numbers work out: **Option 1**: If your family can provide more than 50% of your total annual support (including what you paid yourself Jan-June), you could qualify as their dependent. This would help them with healthcare subsidies, but you'd need to be claimed on their return. **Option 2**: If the support test doesn't work out, you could file your own return and potentially qualify for significant healthcare premium tax credits based on your low income. With income under $5,900, you'd likely qualify for substantial subsidies - possibly covering most of your premium costs. I'd recommend calculating both scenarios to see which provides the better overall tax benefit for your family situation. You might want to use one of the tools mentioned here or speak with an IRS agent to get official confirmation of your calculations before making the final decision. The good news is that either way, someone in your family should be able to get healthcare assistance - it's just a matter of optimizing who claims what!