But did you know you can claim adult dependents as well? In general, an adult that you can claim as a dependent on your tax return is either a full-time student under the age of 24, a person who is permanently and totally disabled, or a parent that you support and/or care for.
The person can be your father, mother, grandparent, stepparent, niece, nephew, aunt, or uncle. The person can even be a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law. The person must have less than $5,050 in taxable income (for 2024).
The potential dependent must be one of these: Your parent, ancestor (ex: grandparent, great-grandparent), or sibling of either of them. Stepsibling, stepparent, parent-in-law, son- or daughter-in-law, or brother- or sister-in-law. Any person that lived with you for the entire year as a member of your household.
An individual claimed as a dependent must be a citizen, national, or resident of the United States, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.
To be allowed to claim your parent as a dependent, your parent's taxable income must be less than $4,700 for tax year 2023 (and $5,050 for 2024). This means that if your parent's income falls into that threshold you aren't eligible to claim them as a dependent.
The child must be: (a) under age 19 at the end of the year and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), (b) under age 24 at the end of the year, a full- time student, and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly), or (c) any age if permanently and totally disabled.
Tax Dependents Children must be under 26 to be eligible for dependent coverage. Children must be under 19 (or 24 if a full-time student) to be claimed as Qualifying Child. No age limit on being claimed as a Qualifying Relative.
Employers in California with insured and self-funded health plans are required to maintain dependent coverage up until age 26. If group health plans provide coverage past age 26, they are required to extend coverage to qualifying students who would otherwise lose coverage due to a medically necessary leave of absence.
The short answer is no, you cannot claim yourself as a dependent on your tax return. This is because you are considered to have your own personal exemption. In other words, you cannot claim yourself as a dependent because you are already claiming yourself as a personal exemption.