Can I claim My Grandchildren on Federal Taxes?

Question

I have legal custody of my two grandchildren since May 2006. We get a stipend of $1100 per month for their care. Can I claim them on my Federal Taxes?

Answer 1

Yes, they are your dependents. Just make sure no one else is filing for them or else they could get in trouble.

Answer 2

You have had the children since (at least) May 2006. Did they receive support paid to you or others on their behalf, such as stipends, social security, or welfare payments, before May? I assume they have received $8,800 of support from the stipends since May.

If these types of support paid on behalf the children total more than half their support, then the children are not your dependents for 2006.

Even if the children are not your dependents, you may still get the Earned Income Credit for the children if the only reason they are not your dependents is that these stipends, social security, or welfare payments paid over half their support.

Answer 3

You could except for the stipend. If that's more than half of their support, and it probably is, then you probably can't claim them. The stipend is probably considered support that they're providing for themselves.

Yours is a hard question to answer without knowing where the stipend is from, and how it's treated. I'd call the IRS and talk to them, or to the agency providing the stipend, they'd probably know.

Good luck.

Answer 4

One, you have legal custody of the children. They are your dependants. Period.

Two, the stipend, whether it be child support or SSI or even some sort of welfare @ $550 a month per child need not be reported.

Claim them.

Answer 5

as long as they lived with you for at least 6 months of the year

Answer 6

that's illegal you have no children