I was married in august 2020, but before that I was a dependent on my parents' taxes. If I file married jointly now, how will that affect my parents?

Your parents will not be able to claim you as a dependent on their 2020 income tax return as you no longer meet the qualifications to be claimed as a dependent since you are married as of December 31st and planning to file a joint return with your spouse.

Dependent qualifications

On your 2020 Income tax return, you may be entitled to claim the Recovery Rebate credit.  The amount of the Rebate Recovery Credit is based upon your actual 2020 income tax return you file.  Therefore, if you meet the criteria for the credit, you will receive it when you prepare your 2020 income tax return.  The credit is intended to give those who should have received a stimulus payment but never did a tax credit on their tax returns.  Any excess credit is then refunded to you if there is an overpayment on your tax return.

Please see the attached link for more information on who can claim the credit.

Recovery Rebate Credit eligibility

When you prepare your 2020 income tax return, be sure to do the following to ensure the credit is calculated correctly on your income tax return.

In the Federal section, select the Federal Review interview section at the top of the screen.

This will take you to the input section for the Recovery Rebate credit.

Be sure to indicate the actual amount of each stimulus payment you received on the page that asks if you received a stimulus payment. 

There will be two boxes and both need to be completed.  If you did not receive any stimulus payments, please indicate We didn't get a stimulus payment by checking that box.