Error in Federal Personal Worksheet

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
February 19, 2022
2 replies
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I am single and have no dependents. On the Federal "Personal Information Worksheet," it asks if can someone (such as your parent claim you as a dependent) can claim me as a dependent. In my case, no one can claim me as a dependent. if I leave the yes or no boxes unchecked, I get an error message and the refund increases greatly, which obviously is what I want. If I mark no, it diminishes greatly. Why can't I leave either box empty?

Best answer by DoninGA

@PipiR wrote:

Exactly. I have no family and no one can claim me as a dependent, so it stands to reason that I should be able to leave both boxes empty, right?

As stated you cannot leave those boxes blank. They have to indicate NO you cannot be claimed as a dependent.

DoninGA

Employee

You should have indicated in the My Info or Personal Info section when entering your personal information that you could Not be claimed as a dependent or Not checking the box for being claimed as a dependent.

That flows to both the Federal Information Worksheet and the Personal Information Worksheet for the Taxpayer. Boxes on both Worksheets for being a dependent will be checked NO.

PipiRAuthor

Yes, I have checked, and double checked that I answered no, that I could not be claimed as a dependent by anyone else when I answered those questions. you are referring to I should be able to leave the yes or no boxes empty, but i continue to get the error message.

PattiF

The box cannot be left empty. It is tied into the Standard Deduction section on Form 1040 from the IRS. It must be answered. You won't be able to file your return without answering the question.

If someone can claim you as a dependent, the standard deduction that reduces your taxable income is smaller.

If you claim yourself, more of your income is excluded from being taxed because of a larger standard deduction.

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PipiRAuthor

Exactly. I have no family and no one can claim me as a dependent, so it stands to reason that I should be able to leave both boxes empty, right?

PipiRAuthor

I am only claiming myself as single person. so I should get the higher standard deduction of $12,500, which appears to be the case, but why does it change depending on the answer of yes or no?