 TITLE: Who Qualifies as a Dependent for Taxes? CONTENT: How Do I Know if I Can Claim Someone as a Dependent?\n----------------------------------------------------\nTo start, there are a few basic requirements that need to be met to claim someone else as a dependent:\n*   No one else can claim you, or your spouse if you're filing a joint return, as a dependent. Even if the person chooses not to claim you as a dependent, the fact that they could makes you ineligible.\n*   You generally can't claim anyone who is married and files a joint return. However, there are exceptions if the person only files a joint return to get back income taxes that were withheld from paychecks or estimated tax payments.\n*   The person you're claiming must be a U.S. citizen, resident alien (which can include undocumented residents), U.S. national, or resident of Canada or Mexico. There are also some exceptions for adopted children who lived with you in the U.S.\nThese general rules apply to everyone. Additionally, the person you're claiming must meet all the requirements to be your qualifying child or qualifying relative. END