"Spouse Can Be Claimed As A Dependent" Stimulus

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
March 7, 2021
2 replies
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So I read this Thread Here and I too am one of the people who got screwed out of the Stimulus payments. I KNOW I didn't check this box, and when I filed again this year, I MADE SURE TO LOOK CAREFULLY and the STUPID box is still checked. I filed for my rebate and called the IRS this Friday (5th) and they said that my return was adjusted to NOT include the credit for the stimulus because this Spouse Can Be Claimed As A Dependent box. So - just in case any of you had hope this would be fixed nearly a year later...it is not. 😞

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JamesG1

Are you saying that your spouse was claimed as a dependent on your 2020 Federal tax return? Or 2019 amended Federal tax return? Please clarify.

If you are referring to the 2020 Federal tax return, the spouse would not likely qualify as a qualifying child and a dependent must be a qualifying child to receive the stimulus payments.

IRS FAQ state:

Who is considered a qualifying child?

A qualifying child is a child who meets the following conditions:

Relationship to the individual who’s eligible for the payment: The child is your son, daughter, stepchild, eligible foster child, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, or a descendant of any of them (for example, grandchild, niece, or nephew).
Child's age: The child was under age 17 on December 31, 2019.
Dependent of the individual who's eligible for the payment: The child was claimed as your dependent on your 2019 tax return or in the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool.
Child's citizenship: The child’s a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien.
Child's residency: The child lived with you for more than half of 2019.
Support for child: The child didn’t provide over half of their own support for 2019.
Child's tax return: The child doesn’t file a joint return for the year (or files it only to claim a refund of withheld income tax or estimated tax paid).

The payment will include $600 for each qualifying child listed on your 2019 tax return with a valid SSN or ATIN.

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MRizzoAuthor

No. Thought I was pretty clear. My husband was not my dependent, or anyone's. There's a box that says MY SPOUSE CAN BE CLAIMED AS A DEPENDENT that somehow got checked on my 2019 and now 2020 taxes, although it does not ask you this question.

The IRS said because this box is checked I'm not getting my stimulus. I'm a grown woman who hasn't been a dependent in over 2 decades as well as my husband.

harryhoudini66

I came here for this exact same reason. It looks like that little glitch that TurboTax first refused to acknowledge and then corrected but chalked it up as a minor issue, happened again.

Last Friday I received my refund minus the stimulus check amount.

MRizzoAuthor

I am so sorry to hear that. When I spoke to the IRS they said they put a referral on my account to be looked at and she included all the notes because she admits it is an error and I should qualify for stimulus payments. She estimated 30 days to get back to me at the max regarding it. Once they get back to me, depending on the solution/answer, I may have to get a Tax Advocate to see about getting this resolved. I cannot believe this is STILL going on a year later.

In my case, this is an error. However, I can't help but wonder about people who ARE in that situation. What if my husband and I were separated or whatever and he COULD be claimed as a dependent elsewhere but I AM NOT. Does that mean my child and I shouldn't get a stimulus payment? His status should have NOTHING to do with my stimulus.

Hope this gets fixed 😞 Will update when I know more.

harryhoudini66

That is actually my scenario. My wife (process of divorce) left. I have been taking care of the kids on my own now for a few years. I am lucky to have a good job that was not affected by the changes Covid caused.

In my case, I did check that someone else could claim her on their taxes. Since I was not sure if her new guy would be doing that. However, that was in 2018. Since then, it appears this option has been carrying over by itself.

From what I read in a few different areas, having that box checked for either person would disqualify both from the stimulus check.

I am hopeful that my divorce finalizes this year.