Do PA UC dependent allowances affect how I file my tax return? Confused about claiming kids
So I've been on unemployment since February and I listed my two kids as dependents when I first applied for PA UC benefits. I get that extra $15 per week for each dependent allowance. My question is - does claiming dependents on unemployment mean I HAVE to claim them on my tax returns next year? My ex and I usually alternate years claiming the kids, and 2025 is supposed to be her year according to our agreement. Will this cause problems with the IRS or my UC benefits? I don't want to mess anything up but I can't find a clear answer anywhere on the PA UC website about this.
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Aisha Rahman
no ur fine those r totaly separate things. i claimed my son on UC but my ex claimed him on taxes, no problems at all
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QuantumQueen
•Thanks for the quick reply! That's a relief. I was worried I might get flagged for some kind of inconsistency between UC and IRS.
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Ethan Wilson
The dependent allowance for PA unemployment and tax dependency status are two different systems. The PA UC dependent allowance is just an additional amount added to your weekly benefit rate when you have qualifying dependents. This has no direct connection to who claims the children as dependents on federal tax returns. Your custody agreement for tax purposes remains separate from your unemployment claim. As long as you legitimately provide support for your children (even partial), you were entitled to claim the dependent allowance on your UC claim regardless of who claims them on taxes.
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Yuki Sato
•My ex tried to say I couldn't get the dependent allowance because she claims our kid on taxes and I had to FIGHT with unemployment for like 2 months to get it straightened out!! They eventually fixed it but man was it annoying.
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QuantumQueen
•Thanks for the detailed explanation. So even if she claims them on next year's taxes, I'm not doing anything wrong by having them as dependents on my UC claim? I just want to make sure I'm not accidentally committing fraud or something.
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Carmen Flores
I didn't even know you could get extra $ for kids on unemployment! Is it too late to add mine? I've been on UC since December and nobody told me about this dependent thing!!
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Ethan Wilson
•You can request to add dependents to your claim, but it won't be retroactive. You'd need to call or message through your dashboard. Be prepared to provide their SSNs and documentation of your relationship.
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Andre Dubois
HEADS UP: The $15 per child allowance is helpful but remember that unemployment benefits INCLUDING the dependent allowance are ALL TAXABLE INCOME. Make sure you're withholding taxes (you can select this option in your UC portal) or you might get hit with a surprising tax bill next year. This caught me off guard last year and I ended up owing money I didn't expect.
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QuantumQueen
•That's a good point - I did select the tax withholding option when I set up my claim. Definitely don't want any surprises at tax time!
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CyberSamurai
If you can't get through to unemployment to ask them directly, I'd recommend trying Claimyr. I was stuck with a similar question about my claim and couldn't get anyone at UC on the phone for weeks. I used claimyr.com and got connected to a PA UC rep in about 20 minutes who confirmed everything for me. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 - totally worth it when you need definitive answers directly from PA UC.
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QuantumQueen
•Thanks for the suggestion. I've been hesitant to call because I know how long the wait times are. I'll check out that service if I need to speak with someone directly.
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Yuki Sato
•I used that service too when my claim was stuck for 6 weeks. Got through to someone who actually fixed my issue right away. Before that I was just getting busy signals for days
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Zoe Alexopoulos
Tax professional here: UC dependent allowances and tax dependency status are completely separate systems. The dependency rules for unemployment benefits in Pennsylvania are based on your financial support of dependents at the time you file for benefits. IRS dependency rules for tax returns involve different tests including residency, relationship, and support tests over the tax year. Follow your custody agreement for tax filing. The PA Department of Labor & Industry and the IRS do not cross-reference these two different systems. As long as you were truthful about supporting your dependents when you applied for UC, you're fine.
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QuantumQueen
•Thank you for the expert clarification! That's exactly what I needed to know. It's a relief to understand that these are separate systems with different requirements.
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Carmen Flores
I had this same question last year when I was on UC! My tax guy told me that the UC people don't talk to the tax people about this stuff. I was worried too but everything was fine when I filed taxes.
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Aisha Rahman
somethin else to consider- if u get that extra $30/week for ur 2 kids, that's like $1500 extra per year if ur on UC the whole year. might be worth thinkin about if switchin who claims the kids on taxes makes sense money-wise with ur ex
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QuantumQueen
•That's an interesting point. The tax credit is worth more than the UC dependent allowance, so it probably still makes sense to stick with our agreement. But definitely something to think about.
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