If someone has sent money overseas to support his/her parents..no ssn of parents. can we get tax benifits?

Answer 1

Your parents must meet the IRS dependency rules, including their IRS taxable income. I'd say overseas parents, without US tax filings, would not be eligible since the IRS has no way to confirm the arrangement.

Check out this information page:
http://finance.yahoo.com/taxes/article/101925/help_from_uncle_sam_in_caring_for_your_aging_parent

Answer 2

I take it you are an immigrant and your parents are not citizens nor permanent residents of the US, hence they have no SSN.

According to the IRS http://www.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/jsp/hows/tt/module04/tax_mod4_1.jsp, to claim a dependency exemption for a qualifying relative, the person must meet the following tests:

- Dependent Taxpayer Test
- Joint Return Test
- Citizenship Test
- Not a Qualifying Child Test
- Member of Household or Relationship Test
- Gross Income Test
- Support Test

To pass the Member of household or relationship test, your parents must live with the taxpayer (you) for the entire year as a member of the taxpayer's household. If they are overseas, then they couldn't have lived with you.

For the Citizenship Test, you will meet this test if your parents are U.S. citizens or residents, or residents of Canada or Mexico. You did not indicate where they are, so if they are not Mexican or Canadian citizens, then you cannot claim them for the tax deductions

US has a lot of immigrants, and I could just imagine the uproar if the financial support of these immigrants to their relatives overseas are made tax deductible

Answer 3

No, sorry, no tax benefit there. Dependents must have a SSN or TIN and must reside in the US, Canada or Mexico or be US citizens or US nationals or US resident aliens for at least part of the year.

Answer 4

Not for sending it overseas. You can claim relatives as dependents if you provide more than 50% of their support and they live in either the US, Canada, or Mexico. Any other country and they can not be dependents to give you additional deductions.