There are many things to consider when determining if you have provided more than half of a person's support during the year. Below is a link and information from IRS Publication 17 to help you make this determination.
Per IRS Publication 17 Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals), starting on page 33:
To meet this test, you must generally provide more than half of a person's total support during the calendar year.
However, if two or more persons provide support, but no one person provides more than half of a person's total support, see Multiple Support Agreement, later.
How to determine if support test is met. You figure whether you have provided more than half of a person's total support by comparing the amount you contributed to that person's support with the entire amount of support that person received from all sources. This includes support the person provided from his or her own funds.
You may find Worksheet 3-1 helpful in figuring whether you provided more than half of a person's support.
Person’s own funds not used for support. A person's own funds aren't support unless they are actually spent for support.
Child’s wages used for own support. You can’t include in your contribution to your child's support any support paid for by the child with the child's own wages, even if you paid the wages.
Year support is provided. The year you provide the support is the year you pay for it, even if you do so with borrowed money that you repay in a later year.
If you use a fiscal year to report your income, you must provide more than half of the dependent's support for the calendar year in which your fiscal year begins.
Armed Forces dependency allotments. The part of the allotment contributed by the government and the part taken out of your military pay are both considered provided by you in figuring whether you provide more than half of the support. If your allotment is used to support persons other than those you name, you can claim them as dependents if they otherwise qualify.
Tax-exempt military quarters allowances. These allowances are treated the same way as dependency allotments in figuring support. The allotment of pay and the tax-exempt basic allowance for quarters are both considered as provided by you for support.
Tax-exempt income. In figuring a person's total support, include tax-exempt income, savings, and borrowed amounts used to support that person. Tax-exempt income includes certain social security benefits, welfare benefits, nontaxable life insurance proceeds, Armed Forces family allotments, nontaxable pensions, and tax-exempt interest.
Social security benefits. If a married couple receives benefits that are paid by one check made out to both of them, half of the total paid is considered to be for the support of each spouse, unless they can show otherwise
If a child receives social security benefits and uses them toward his or her own support, the benefits are considered as provided by the child.
Support provided by the state (welfare, food stamps, housing, etc.). Benefits provided by the state to a needy person are generally considered support provided by the state. However, payments based on the needs of the recipient won't be considered as used entirely for that person's support if it is shown that part of the payments weren't used for that purpose.
Home for the aged. If you make a lump-sum advance payment to a home for the aged to take care of your relative for life and the payment is based on that person's life expectancy, the amount of support you provide each year is the lump-sum payment divided by the relative's life expectancy. The amount of support you provide also includes any other amounts you provided during the year.
Total Support
To figure if you provided more than half of a person's support, you must first determine the total support provided for that person. Total support includes amounts spent to provide food, lodging, clothing, education, medical and dental care, recreation, transportation, and similar necessities.
Generally, the amount of an item of support is the amount of the expense incurred in providing that item. For lodging, the amount of support is the fair rental value of the lodging.
Expenses not directly related to any one member of a household, such as the cost of food for the household, must be divided among the members of the household.
Lodging. If you provide a person with lodging, you are considered to provide support equal to the fair rental value of the room, apartment, house, or other shelter in which the person lives. Fair rental value includes a reasonable allowance for the use of furniture and appliances, and for heat and other utilities that are provided.
Fair rental value defined. Fair rental value is the amount you could reasonably expect to receive from a stranger for the same kind of lodging. It is used instead of actual expenses such as taxes, interest, depreciation, paint, insurance, utilities, and the cost of furniture and appliances. In some cases, fair rental value may be equal to the rent paid.
If you provide the total lodging, the amount of support you provide is the fair rental value of the room the person uses, or a share of the fair rental value of the entire dwelling if the person has use of your entire home. If you don’t provide the total lodging, the total fair rental value must be divided depending on how much of the total lodging you provide. If you provide only a part and the person supplies the rest, the fair rental value must be divided between both of you according to the amount each provides.
Person living in his or her own home. The total fair rental value of a person's home that he or she owns is considered support contributed by that person.
Living with someone rent free. If you live with a person rent free in his or her home, you must reduce the amount you provide for support of that person by the fair rental value of lodging he or she provides you.
Property. Property provided as support is measured by its fair market value. Fair market value is the price that property would sell for on the open market. It is the price that would be agreed upon between a willing buyer and a willing seller, with neither being required to act, and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.
Capital expenses. Capital items, such as furniture, appliances, and cars, bought for a person during the year can be included in total support under certain circumstances.
Medical insurance premiums. Medical insurance premiums you pay, including premiums for supplementary Medicare coverage, are included in the support you provide.
Medical insurance benefits. Medical insurance benefits, including basic and supplementary Medicare benefits, aren't part of support.
Tuition payments and allowances under the GI Bill. Amounts veterans receive under the GI Bill for tuition payments and allowances while they attend school are included in total support.
Child care expenses. If you pay someone to provide child or dependent care, you can include these payments in the amount you provided for the support of your child or disabled dependent, even if you claim a credit for the payments. For information on the credit, see Pub. 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses.
Other support items. Other items may be considered as support depending on the facts in each case.
Don't Include in Total Support
The following items aren't included in total support.
Note that any link in the information above is updated each year automatically and will take you to the most recent version of the document at the time it is accessed.