Banned user

Hey there!

Does anyone know if I can still claim someone as a dependent if they owe money to the IRS? I’m looking to list my dad as a dependent, but his small business went under and now he’s stuck with some unpaid Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Thanks!

Of course it can

no matter how much debt you're in

dustyranger14 said:no matter how much debt you're in

That’s why you’ve gotta keep them dependent. If they don't have any income, you can actually pay back what you owe the FBI.😁😁

Just kidding....

A taxpayer can claim personal exemptions for
dependent children or other family members if they
don't have any income—or if they do, it still
works up to a limit of 5 exemptions. Back in 2012,
the standard personal exemption was applied at
$600 for the first two months, then for the following
10 months, it was $733 per month, making the total amount EXTREMELY
high for 2012 at $3655. This threshold also applies
to federally designated disaster areas,
even though those specific taxpayers
get an increased personal exemption.

My mother had absolutely zero income during 2012.

My father started receiving a pension in April 2012 in the amount of $1667, which is a Swiss pension

A few questions:

1) Regarding my father, can I apply the 0.5 factor to the standard deduction for those first three months when he had no income?

2) Also, I understand there isn't a specific bilateral agreement regulating pensions between Switzerland and the US, or something to that effect. Given that, is it possible to claim him as a dependent for the full year?

3) Since my father lives at the same address as my mother, will his income affect my ability to claim her as a dependent? We’re looking at a total household budget of roughly $15—or should I just claim her as a dependent using the 0.5 factor since she has no income?

Thanks,

Paul Rogers2

Mark Zuckerberg,

1. No.
2. There are two separate treaties with Switzerland—one covers avoiding double taxation (income tax stuff) and the other handles social security (pensions and healthcare).
Your father can't be classified as a dependent under these rules. From what I can see, he’ll likely have to account for and pay tax prepayments every month when his Swiss pension hits, plus file an actual tax return.
Maybe dig through some old threads by Bender Bending Rodríguez; he actually dealt with this specific mess before.

3. That’s a non-issue. Either you or your father can claim your mother as a dependent—you just need to run the numbers to see who gets the better tax break.

Thanks!

Can a father-in-law join in on the tax breaks?

Sure, provided his income didn't exceed $3655 back in 2012.

Hey there!

Got a bit of a tricky one on my hands here...

So, my mom is an American citizen, and her only income is an overseas pension coming in from Russia.
One daughter is working full-time.
The other daughter isn't a citizen—she’s been a resident here for five years now. She's an adult, has a partial disability, and is currently unemployed.

Is it possible for the sister to be listed as a dependent? Or is it strictly limited to just the mother being able to claim someone? Honestly, given all those details, is this even a possibility at all?

Thanks a million!

A mother can qualify as a dependent if she didn't receive more than $3655 during the 2012 tax year

A sister cannot be a dependent to her own sister—however, a daughter could potentially qualify as a dependent for her mother (for instance, an unemployed daughter living with her mom)

Thanks so much!

And one more thing... how does disability status work? Does that actually bump up my standard deduction?

Partial disability rating? That’s a plus 0.30 coefficient right there. It's like getting a little extra boost on your stats in a video game—not quite a full level-up, but definitely enough to change the math.
It’s basically like hitting a perfect 1.0 score on a grading scale—total, absolute disability status. Everything is maxed out.

So, I’m guessing that specific disability tax credit is strictly for that one individual to use, right?

Wait, does that mean it's actually possible to claim both the mother's deduction plus an extra 0.5 for a dependent daughter?

Is it a mother's deduction of 1+0.5+0.3—or just 1?

I guess she could also apply the increase for having a daughter with a disability

I mean, if her mother isn't even paying taxes here, then what's the point? Why would you even bother sending anything back at the end of the day?

Also, quick question—can a daughter actually support her mother if the mother has zero reported income (like, say, an unreported pension from Russia)?

driftingpilot8 said:I mean, if her mother isn't even paying taxes here, then what's the point? Why would you even bother sending anything back at the end of the day?

Also, quick question—can a daughter actually support her mother if the mother has zero reported income (like, say, an unreported pension from Russia)?

If mother is a California resident and receiving a foreign pension, she's legally required to file a tax return!
The standard deduction covers up to $3,200 for the first couple of months, but for the rest $1.25, if her pension hits those amounts, she’ll owe taxes and surcharges. Either way, she absolutely has to file that return...

Hey, stop acting like you're some kind of cop! That doesn't even answer what I actually asked.

Look, there isn't some cop breathing down your neck here; you've just been given a clear set of instructions on what needs to happen. As for your question about the dependent, your mother can qualify as one as long as she doesn't bring in more than $3655 in total income.
Just a heads-up, though—income counts whether it's taxable or tax-exempt
. We're talking about all kinds of receipts, except for things like social security or child
benefits, newborn grants, or
payments for baby gear. Also, family
pensions (which includes those survivor benefits)
paid out to kids after their parents pass away aren't included in that count either.

driftingpilot8 said:Hey, stop acting like you're some kind of cop! That doesn't even answer what I actually asked.

You’ve gotta read between the lines here—she can't claim her mother as a dependent if the mother's income is way higher than what the IRS allows...

Look, I told you exactly how to handle this, so do whatever you want.
Just be ready for the risk of a fine starting at $1.75 and going up from there.