Home > Research Legal Advice > Tax > If my father has his own house but is living with me do I have to count ...
Asked 4 months ago - Winfield, KS
FlagMy father owns his own home but stays at my house due to illness. Do I have to count him as part of my household when filling out government forms. He has his house currently rented out.
It depends on what type of government forms you are referring to. For your income taxes, if he does not qualify as a dependent you cannot claim him. However if, for instance, you are attempting to get a tax payment arrangement you may need to count his income/expenses in your household calculation in many instances. You need to be much more specific.
It's not clear what "government forms" you are filling out. Whether you may claim your father as a "dependent" on your federal income tax return and whether you must report him as part of your household on other (non-tax related) government forms, may be different.
However, if you are wondering whether you may claim your father as a dependent on your federal income tax return, the answer is "probably not."
You may claim your father as a dependent on your 2012 federal income tax return only if his gross income for 2012 is less than $3,800 AND you provided over one-half of your father's (financial) support during 2012.
Don't speak legalese? We define thousands of terms in plain English.
Browse our legal dictionary