My gf and her kids live with have been for over 3 years my gf don t work and I pay and provide for them. However I m getting audited I spoke to different people telling me different things . Am I allowed to claim them or no i live in Texas if it helps
Wayne Z
You can probably claim them as dependents.
However.......(Here is the biggie.....)
You CAN NOT claim them for the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit and they do not qualify you for Head of Household as they are not related to you by blood or marriage.
So.....
If you put your relationship to them on your tax return as "Other" or "None", you should be OK.
But...
If you lied and put Son/Daughter or Niece/Nephew as your relationship, you going to have to write a pretty big check back to the IRS.
Max Hoopla
If you support your girlfriend and her children you file your return as single and can claim exemptions for them as "other relatives." If you married the gf the tax benefits would be a lot greater.
tro
a qualifying relative is one who lives in your household the ENTIRE YEAR, does not earn the personal exemption for that year, you provide more than 50% of their support and they cannot be claimed on another tax return
if she and her children comply with these requirements you can claim them
Judy
You can claim them as dependents, but can't claim any child-related credits or file as head of household.
Anonymous
You'd better go get some professional tax help since you obviously don't know what you're doing.