🎯Dependent Child or relative: 15 MCQs

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Yinghong Jin 12 December 2023

Question 14: The question part didn’t mention Joe is one of the sons for the couple, therefore, I wouldn’t consider Joe as a dependent of child.

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1. Matt Rexroad 3 March 2024
  
  100%. No indication in the question that Joe is their child.
  
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  1. Maroun, CPA 4 March 2024
    
    Hello Matt,
    
    The question has been updated to clarify that Joe is their child.
    Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
    
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2. Maroun, CPA 4 March 2024
  
  Hello Yinghong,
  
  The question has been updated to clarify that Joe is their child.
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
  
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Justin Wedul 1 January 2024

Question –
If Bryan had moved in 1/1/xx and lived in the household for the entire year, the qualified resident test would have been met?
Would Bryan’s parents have to give their approval for the Johnson’s to claim Bryan on the Johnson’s taxes?
Thank you for clarifying –

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1. Deleted User 3 January 2024
  
  Hello Justin,
  
  Can you please mention which question are you referring to ?
  
  Farhat Lectures support team
  
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  1. Wendy Vargas 13 March 2025
    
    Question 6: I have the same question. On other questions, the taxpayer can claim a dependent friend because the person lives with them and they support them. But on this question, the couple cant claim a child they have maintained the whole year?
    
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    1. Maroun, CPA 15 March 2025
      
      Hello Wendy,
      
      The key difference here is the length of time Brian lived with them. To claim someone as a qualifying relative, a non-relative must live with the taxpayer for the entire year.
      
      In this case, Brian only moved in April, meaning he did not live with them for the full year. Since he is not a relative, he does not meet the residency requirement, and they cannot claim him as a dependent.
      
      I hope this clarifies it!
      
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Deleted User 13 March 2024

Hello Abdalla,

The below is the mentioned in the question:

“Sara’s ex-husband and his brother who do not live with her.”

Hope this helps !

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1. Leslie Ardite 17 February 2025
  
  So, if the brother in law does not live with her, why does he qualify? I thought everyone had to live with the taxpayer except the parents. Please explain. Thanks.
  
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  1. Maroun, CPA 22 February 2025
    
    Hello Leslie,
    
    It looks like there’s some confusion between two different sets of rules:
    
    1. Head of Household Filing Status
    Generally requires you to have a “qualifying person” who lives with you for more than half the year—unless that person is a parent.
    Most other relatives (siblings, in-laws, etc.) must live with you to count for Head of Household.
    
    2. Qualifying Relative (Dependency) Rules
    Let you claim certain relatives as dependents even if they do not live with you, as long as you meet the support test, gross income test, relationship test, and residency test.
    
    This is separate from, and broader than, the requirement for Head of Household.
    Thus, someone like a brother-in-law could potentially be a “qualifying relative” (dependent) without living with you, but that alone does not mean you can file as Head of Household. For HoH status, the general rule is still that the dependent must share your home, unless the dependent is a parent.
    
    I hope this clears things up! Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.
    
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    1. Matlyn Woodyard 11 October 2025
      
      Maroun, thank you for the helpful breakdown between Head of Household and Qualifying Relative rules.
      I have a follow-up question:
      In this scenario, it’s stated that the taxpayer provided more than 50% of the brother-in-law’s support, so the support test appears to be satisfied. However, I’m wondering about the gross income test and especially the relationship test. Specifically, if the brother-in-law is the brother of the taxpayer’s ex-husband, does he still meet the relationship requirement? My understanding is that in-law relationships typically end upon divorce, which could disqualify him under the IRS definition of a qualifying relative.
      Additionally, the gross income test requires that the dependent’s income be below the exemption amount for the tax year (e.g., $4,400 for 2022). Since we don’t have any information about the brother-in-law’s income, we can’t confirm whether he meets this test.
      So, while the support test is met, can we definitively say he qualifies as a dependent without knowing his income and confirming the relationship status post-divorce? Or are we assuming eligibility without verifying all the necessary criteria?
      Thanks again for your insights!
      
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      1. Maroun, CPA 13 October 2025
        
        Hello Matlyn,
        
        A brother-in-law counts as a qualifying relative even after divorce; IRS Pub. 501 explicitly says relationships created by marriage (including brother-in-law) aren’t ended by death or divorce. He also doesn’t have to live with the taxpayer to meet the relationship/household test.
        I’ve deleted the question to avoid confusion while I revise the wording. Appreciate your diligence!
Karren Solomon 15 March 2024

Can a qualifying relative be non-related if they live in the same residence 12 months?

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1. Deleted User 20 March 2024
  
  Hello Karren,
  
  In the context of tax rules in the United States, a qualifying relative doesn’t necessarily have to be a blood relative. They could be a non-relative, but they must meet all the requirements outlined by the IRS to be considered a qualifying relative. These requirements include:
  
  They are not the taxpayer’s qualifying child or the qualifying child of any other taxpayer.
  They have lived with the taxpayer as a member of the taxpayer’s household for the entire tax year (not necessarily 12 months, but the entire tax year).
  They have a gross income for the tax year that is less than the exemption amount ($4,700 for 2023).
  The taxpayer provides more than half of their total support for the year.
  They are a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. resident alien, or a resident of Canada or Mexico.
  
  Farhat Lectures Support Team
  
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Maroun, CPA 4 April 2024

Hello Olena,

For tax purposes, a “qualifying relative” falls under two main categories:
– Actual Relatives: These are people who are related to you by blood or marriage, like siblings, parents, grandparents, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and in-laws. They do NOT have to live with you to be considered a qualifying relative, as long as you provide more than half of their support and they meet the other tests (such as the income test).

– Non-Relatives: These are people who are not related to you by blood or marriage. They CAN be considered a qualifying relative if they live with you for the entire tax year, you provide more than half of their support, and they meet the other tests.

In the case of the husband’s brother (the former brother-in-law), he falls into the first category as an actual relative. That’s why he doesn’t need to live with Sara for the whole year to be considered a qualifying relative.
The key point is that relationships established by marriage (like that with a brother-in-law) don’t end with divorce or death, so he’s still considered a relative for tax purposes.

Hope this helps!

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Deleted User 11 April 2024

Hello Tonghui

Sara’s former brother-in-law.

Hope this helps !

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krishna mandumula 5 May 2024

in reference to QNO 9
why residence test is not a test determine whether an individual is the “qualifying relative” of a taxpayer.

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1. Maroun, CPA 8 July 2024
  
  Hello Krishna,
  
  The residence test is one of the criteria used to determine if someone qualifies as a “qualifying child” for tax purposes. This test is required to ensure that the taxpayer and the child share a primary residence for the majority of the year, indicating a significant parental relationship and level of care.
  Under the “qualifying child” residence test, the child must live with the taxpayer for more than half of the tax year. This means that the child’s principal place of abode must be the same as the taxpayer’s for at least six months and one day during the year.
  
  On the other hand, the qualifying relative rules are designed to account for a broader range of dependents who may not necessarily live with the taxpayer but still depend on them for support.
  If an individual meets the relationship test (father, mother, brother, sister, …), he/she does not have to live with the taxpayer provided he/she meets the support test, gross income test, and citizen/resident test. Thus, the residence test is not required in this case. Only non-relatives must live with the taxpayer all year as a member of the household in order to qualify.
  
  I hope this makes sense!
  
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Eunice M 6 July 2024

Please review Question 1. The answer C could be wrong only if the answer was ” an individual must ONLY be a United States citizen”. The word ONLY would have made a big difference in the answer.

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1. Maroun, CPA 8 July 2024
  
  Hello Euny,
  
  The use of the word “must” implies a requirement or necessity. In the context of the statement, “An individual must be a United States resident to qualify as a dependent,” it suggests that being a United States resident is a mandatory condition for qualifying as a dependent. The word “only” is not typically used with “must” because “must” already implies a strong requirement or necessity. Therefore, “only” would be redundant in that context.
  
  Ask yourself this question:
  Does an individual need to be a United States resident to qualify as a dependent?
  
  The answer is no, an individual does not need to be a United States resident to qualify as a dependent. An individual must be either a citizen of the United States or a resident of the United States, Mexico, or Canada.
  
  I hope this makes sense!
  
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Denise Feng 5 August 2024

Question 4 regarding the Wilson family claiming their daughter, Samantha:

If it clarifies that Samantha incurred $56,000 in expenses. $4,700 was paid by Samantha herself, $20,400 was paid by her parents, and the remaining $30,900. How did her parents pass the support test if $20,400 is not more than hald of $56,000?

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1. Maroun, CPA 6 August 2024
  
  Hello Denise,
  
  According to the IRS, the “qualifying child” support test requires that the child did not provide more than one-half of his/her own support for the year. The IRS does not state that the parents must provide more than half of the child’s support, only that the child themselves must not have provided more than half. This means that as long as Samantha did not pay for more than 50% of her own expenses, she can be considered a qualifying child, regardless of who else contributed to her support.
  In addition, if a child is claimed as a qualifying child by two or more taxpayers in a given year, the child will be the qualifying child of the parent.
  
  I hope this helps!
  
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Denise Feng 5 August 2024

If it had been clarified that Doris’s return with her husband was for the sole purpose of a refund, then would her parents be able to claim her as a dependent qualifying chid?

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1. Maroun, CPA 6 August 2024
  
  Hello Denise,
  
  If it had been clarified that Doris’s return with her husband was for the sole purpose of a refund, then yes, her parents would be able to claim her as a dependent qualifying child.
  According to IRS rules, if a married dependent files a joint return only to claim a refund and would not have a tax liability if she filed separately, she can still be claimed as a dependent.
  
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Maroun, CPA 13 October 2024

Hello Christopher,

This situation may seem confusing, but it is based on the way the IRS defines relationships for tax purposes, especially when determining who qualifies as a dependent. The IRS rules are not based on the same emotional or social relationships that people commonly think of; instead, they follow more rigid legal definitions.

For tax purposes, relationships established through marriage, such as in-laws, continue to exist even after a divorce or the death of a spouse, unless you remarry. This means that while you may no longer be legally connected to your ex-spouse, relationships with their family members, such as a brother-in-law, are still recognized by the IRS. The key point is that the IRS focuses on the legal relationship, which remains unchanged for tax purposes, even after the divorce.

The rationale behind this rule is to avoid creating confusion or additional complexity in cases where financial support continues to flow to former in-laws or extended family members. If relationships were severed immediately upon divorce for tax purposes, it could lead to complications for taxpayers who continue to provide financial support for those individuals.

In Sara’s case, although she is no longer married to her ex-husband, her financial support for her former brother-in-law still allows her to claim him as a dependent, as the IRS considers the relationship intact. This rule simplifies the dependency process by focusing on financial dependency rather than social or emotional ties. The relationship test remains satisfied, allowing Sara to claim her former brother-in-law as a dependent as long as all other tests are met, such as providing more than 50% of his support.

I hope this explanation helps clarify the reasoning behind the IRS rule!

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Angelica Morales 3 January 2025

Although Ruth died on April 27, do the Millers can claim her?

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1. Maroun, CPA 7 January 2025
  
  Hello Angelica,
  
  Yes, according to IRS guidelines, the Millers can claim Ruth as a dependent for the tax year 20X3, even though she passed away on April 27. The IRS allows taxpayers to claim a person as a dependent if they meet all the dependency requirements at any time during the year, including the year of death. This means that if Ruth qualified as a dependent before her passing, the Millers are entitled to claim her on their tax return for that year.
  
  This treatment aligns with IRS Publication 501, which states that a person who died during the year but met the requirements to be a dependent can still be claimed as such for that year.
  
  Let me know if you have any other questions!
  
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Shivani Bhatt 23 January 2025

Please can you clarify the answer for QUESTION 9?
I have read the solution but cannot understand the difference between Resident Test (for relatives) and Residency test (For child)

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1. Maroun, CPA 25 January 2025
  
  Hello Shivani,
  
  The Resident Test is part of the Citizen or Resident Test, which applies to both qualifying relatives and qualifying children. For a qualifying relative, the individual must be either:
  – A U.S. citizen, or
  – A U.S. resident alien, or
  – A resident of Canada or Mexico.
  
  The Residency Test for qualifying children focuses on physical presence and requires the child to live with the taxpayer for more than half the tax year.
  
  I hope this helps clarify!
  
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Maroun, CPA 24 January 2025

Hello Satya,

For someone to qualify as a dependent relative under the qualifying relative test, they must either:
– Meet the relationship test, OR
– Live with the taxpayer for the entire year (if they do not meet the relationship test).

In Sara’s case, her former brother-in-law meets the relationship test, and therefore, he is not required to live with her at all during the year to qualify as a dependent.

The half-year rule is required to meet the head of household filing status and is NOT a requirement to claim an individual as a qualifying relative.

I hope this helps clear the confusion!

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Maroun, CPA 4 February 2025

Hi Vardan,

Thanks for your feedback! We have reviewed Q#15 and decided to remove it.
Let us know if you have any other questions or need further clarification on any topic. We appreciate your input!

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Maroun, CPA 14 May 2025

Hello Akin,

There is no brother-in-law in question 16. Could you please double-check the question number?

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Arnab Nandi 6 July 2025

Can you please explain point A more elaborately ” a qualifying relative may meet the “member of the household” test while not being related to the taxpayer if he or she has the same principal residence as the taxpayer for the entire year.”

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1. Maroun, CPA 9 July 2025
  
  Hello Arnab,
  
  Sure! Let me explain what choice “A” means in more detail:
  Under IRS rules, an individual can qualify as a dependent under the category of “Qualifying Relative,” even if they’re not actually related to the taxpayer by blood or marriage. To qualify as a dependent in this scenario, the individual must satisfy what’s called the “Member of Household” test:
  – This test requires that the individual live with the taxpayer as a member of the taxpayer’s household for the entire tax year (from January 1 to December 31).
  – Importantly, there’s no requirement for a biological or legal relationship if the above is met. Thus, even an unrelated friend or roommate could qualify as a dependent if they meet this strict residency requirement, assuming other requirements are met.
  
  In other words, choice “A” is correct because it reflects the possibility of claiming a dependent who is unrelated but who satisfies the residency requirement.
  
  I hope this provides the clarification you needed! Please let me know if you have any further questions.
  
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Arnab Nandi 7 July 2025

But Andrea provided more than 50% of the support. why is she not qualified?

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1. Maroun, CPA 9 July 2025
  
  Hello Arnab,
  
  To qualify as a dependent child, the child must not have provided more than half of their own support. This rule doesn’t depend on which parent provides more support, as long as the child doesn’t support herself more than 50%.
  In this scenario, Abigail clearly passes this support test because she provided none of her own support—her support came entirely from Andrea, Matthew, and Belinda.
  
  Under IRS rules, when parents file separately (as in divorce situations), the parent with whom the child lived for the greater portion of the year (the custodial parent) generally gets priority to claim the child as a dependent.
  
  In this scenario, Matthew qualifies as the custodial parent because Abigail lived with him for a longer period during the year.
  
  Being the custodial parent is the primary determining factor; thus, Matthew has priority over Andrea despite her higher financial support.
  
  Therefore, even though Andrea provided more financial support, Matthew is entitled to claim Abigail as a dependent because he satisfies the residence (custodial parent) requirement first.
  
  I hope this helps clarify the rule!.
  
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Maroun, CPA 6 August 2025

Hi Taraka,

The explanation above already walks through why only one person qualifies as Sara’s dependent, but I’m happy to dive deeper. Could you tell me which part you’d like clarified?

And remember, you’re always welcome to ask the AI assistant for an explanation of the correct and incorrect answers.

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Raphael Bolsinger 22 September 2025

Has the material not been updated for Tax Year 2025? I noticed that the answers still reference Tax Year 2022

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1. Maroun, CPA 23 September 2025
  
  Hello Raphael,
  
  The scenario uses “20X2” as a placeholder, not a real year. That’s intentional because the dependency rules being tested don’t change annually, so we avoid tying the concept to a specific tax year. Most questions on the exam (if not all) do not mention a specific year because they are not applicable only to 2025. They follow this approach unless a rule or dollar threshold/phase-out actually changes from year to year.
  When a substantive rule changes, we update the material and call out the year explicitly.
  
  Also, the examiners don’t expect you to memorize inflation-indexed amounts. In practice, you look them up. What matters is knowing how to apply the rules.
  
  Hope that clears it up!
  
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Neha 12 March 2026

Q13
How the cousin Jack met member of household requirement. Please explain

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1. Maroun, CPA 14 March 2026
  
  Hello Neha,
  
  Jack did not meet the “relationship test” as a listed relative because a cousin is not one of the relatives automatically qualifying under the dependency rules.
  
  Thus, the only way Jack can qualify is under the “member of household” rule for a qualifying relative. Under that rule, the person must live with the taxpayer for the entire year as a member of the household.
  
  The question states: “During the year 20X3, they had the following members living with them in their house.” Based on that wording, the assumption is that each listed person, including Jack, lived with the Millers for the entire year. That is why Jack is treated as meeting the member-of-household requirement.
  
  Therefore, the key point is:
  Jack qualifies not because he is a cousin, but because the question is treating him as having lived in the Millers’ household for the entire year. If he had lived with them for only part of the year, then he would not meet that test.
  
  Hope this makes sense!
  
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  1. Neha 14 March 2026
    
    Yes, Thank you for the reply .
    
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    1. Maroun, CPA 16 March 2026
      
      Hello Neha,
      
      You’re very welcome! I’m glad it helped.
      
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NICOLETA Soroiu 22 June 2026

This quiz is missing.
I can’t see the question for this quiz.

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1. Maroun, CPA 24 June 2026
  
  Hello Nicoleta,
  
  I can see the questions from my end.
  It could have been a temporary issue.
  Could you please try again and let me know if the issue persists?
  
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NICOLETA Soroiu 25 June 2026

I only did one question from it in the past, and when I go to the quiz, I don’t have the “Continue quiz” option to finish it.
So this is why I don’t see the questions.

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1. Maroun, CPA 27 June 2026
  
  Hello Nicoleta,
  
  Now I understand the issue and I’ve fixed it.
  Please click on start quiz to redo it.
  
  Log in to Reply

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🎯Dependent Child or relative: 15 MCQs

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