Can I claim my grandmother?

Question

Hey guys,

I have been taking care of my 81 year old grandmother for about 5 years now and have never claimed her. She is a United States citizen; unemployeed; recieving SSI; food stamps and living with me in rental subsidized housing.

Many of her expenses are covered by the state, but many other expenses aren't. I take her to all her doctor's appointments; purchase food for her that isn't covered by her food stamps; pay the phone bill; pay the cable bill and many other miscellaneous costs.

Although money doesn't come out of my pocket all the time to take care of her, she is blind and deaf, which requires me to do absolutely everything for her, including giving medication; washing her clothes; folding her clothes; cleaning after her; doing all her shopping; her cooking and changing her diapers.

I'm having a hard time grasping the 50% issue because in my opinion, I spend a lot of time taking care of her and a whole lot of gas money, plus the other expenses listed.

Should I try to go back and claim her for the previous years? I know a few of the years wouldn't matter. I claimed both of my nieces for a number of years also. I was fostering both of them and being a full time college student, didn't really make a great deal of money to claim against anyway. However, I didn't claim either one of them last year.

My grandmother has never filed taxes. She has never worked a day in her life, other than being a housewife and helping to take care of my siblings and I while growing up.

I'm sorry you couldn't afford cable. It only cost $15 here. You can knock me if you want for living under subsidized housing, but I didn't have the best of choices. My dad is dying of parkinson's and my mom was dying of cancer. I was a single guy going to college with two little kids left for me to foster. By no means did I abuse the system. I graduated from college with a BSCS and BS in Applied Mathematics. I am no longer recieving anything from the gov starting this year.

Humor me here. If she wanted to file taxes, could she claim herself? She doesn't cover more than 50% of her expenses.

Answer 1

In order to take the dependency for your grandmother, you would have to establish that you paid, out of your pocket, more money toward her care than she received from other sources. Her medical expenses are paid by Medicare/Medicaid, her food is largely paid for by food stamps, and it seems she is also paying the rent from her SSI.

Unfortunately, the value of your time and effort does not figure into the amount of support.

Answer 2

You can claim anyone who lives with you for at least 9 months each year who isn't claimed by someone else, including themselves.

In other words, if your grandmother files taxes and claims herself, you cannot claim her. A person can only be claimed once. However, if she doesn't file taxes and/or doesn't claim herself, then you can claim her.

Answer 3

If you were not being subsidized, you could take her as a dependant...you must be paying over half of her expenses to qualify.....helping family is not a tax exemption, most of us do that out of the goodness of our hearts...ps. I don't live in subsidized housing and I don't have cable because it's too expensive....I'm glad you can afford that luxury......do they have subsidies for cable? Please let me know!

Answer 4

I think you can claim your grandmother. A friend at work was just telling me the other day that her mother does that with her grandmother.

Answer 5

Yes! You can claim her as a dependant. Absolutely.

Answer 6

You can claim her if no one else is claming her, including herself.