Can I Claim My Girlfriend (16k income) As Dependent (100k my salary)

Ask Paywizard.org - Can I claim my small income girlfriend as my dependent. I earn 100k. Paywizard.org answers.

Question - date: 2009

 

My girlfriend makes only 16k per yr. I make over 100k. Can I claim her as a dependent? I do give her over 1000 a month for 'extras'. 

 
Answer Paywizard.org:

If your girlfriend has lived with you all of the calender year as a member of your household, her gross income is less than $3,500, and you’ve provided more than half of her total support during that calender year, you could claim her as a dependent on your tax return.

To determine if you pay for more than half of her support, see IRS Pub. 501, p. 16 - Support Test: IRS Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information

Each dependent you claim on your 2008 tax return reduces your income by up to $3,500 (2009: $3,650)

If your girlfriend files a tax return, she would have to answer “yes” to the question “Are you being claimed as a dependent on anyone’s tax return?”  

Note: You can’t claim her as a dependent if living together is in violation of your local law. Generally, you may not claim a married person as a dependent if they file a joint return with their spouse. Also, to claim someone as a dependent, that person must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident alien, U.S. national or resident of Canada or Mexico for some part of the year. There is an exception to this rule for certain adopted children.

See for more information the IRS Top 5 Facts about Dependents and Exemptions.
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