Question

I need to claim my child. Turbo tax has not allowed me for 2 yrs stating I said the other parent is claiming. We live together and she hasn't worked since 2021?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
January 16, 2024
3 replies
0 views

How do I fix this. I feel I deserve to have the past year compensated

TurboTax Free Edition Online

Employee

In the My Info section of the TurboTax program you enter your dependent. Make sure that read all the questions closely before selecting your answer. How you answer the questions determines if you can claim the dependent on your tax return.

If you have any issue when completing the Dependent section in My Info reply back.

X

xmasbaby0

Employee

@goodspeed0918

"I feel I deserve to have the past year compensated"

Sounds like you made a user error when you answered questions in My Info about the child.

If you made a mistake on your 2022 tax return and did not claim your child correctly, you can amend the 2022 return to claim your child. You have to read all of the screens carefully. Did you say in My Info that you have some sort of "agreement" with the other parent in regard to claiming the child? If you answered yes to that question--that is what messed you up. When all of you live together as a family, only one of you can claim the child on a tax return.

See this TurboTax support FAQ for amending a tax return - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/amend-change-correct-return-a...

And....you say your GF has not worked since 2021. If you all lived together for all of 2022, and GF had less than $4700 of income---not counting any Social Security--- you might be able to claim her as a 2022 (and 2023) dependent too---as a "qualified relative" for the $500 credit for other dependents.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4499708-what-is-the-500-credit-for-other-dependents-family-tax-credit

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

T

TomD8

Employee

It sounds like your child is what the IRS calls a "qualifying child" of each parent. In this situation, the IRS "tiebreaker" rule is that the parent with the higher AGI (adjusted gross income) gets to claim the child.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-news/fs-05-07.pdf

Also, if you provided more than half the cost of maintaining the household for yourself and a qualifying person, then you can file as Head of Household. See this:

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/family/guide-to-filing-taxes-as-head-of-household/L4Nx6DYu9

**Answers are correct to the best of my ability but do not constitute tax or legal advice.

Hal_Al

Employee

Q. Turbo tax has not allowed me for 2 yrs stating I said the other parent is claiming. How do I fix this?

A. Stop saying the other parent is claiming.

That question is part of the dependent interview. This is a common error when unmarried parents live together. If you and the other parent live together, only one of you can claim the child for any tax benefit. The TurboTax interview is confusing (it's designed for divorced parents, who are allowed to split the child). The second parent should not enter the child, at all.