kinda mad... is this allowed? eta
- 82 Replies
a family member filed my taxes for me.. we live with this person. but i've been working Since May of 2011- before that, i was in college. i just got back the papers for the tax return and i noticed that i dnt have any dependents... aka my son... which explains why i'm getting so little back.
is that allowed? i provide everything for my son- other than housing. his clothes, school supplies, food, extra activities, sports, etc. all of it is on me.
or should i just let it go since this family member IS providing us with free housing (one bedroom)?
i guess this is an update in a way.... i dont plan on amending the return. If the family member needs the money, or decided that they were entitled to it- i'd have no problem with it. i just wish i knew BEFORE hand. the only things that I signed was MY return- nothing else. in the very beginning, it was the agreement that i would focus on college- not working. a month after i graduated, i got the job and offered rent, but the family member declined- said to focus on saving the money and paying back the debt that I've accumilated throughout the years (credit cards- medical- student loans- etc... other than student loans, my debt has gone from over $6,000+ to about $1,000 now in just a year).... i guess i'm just more upset at the fact that i cant use the return to pay off the rest of my debt, like i originally planned.
i will add that this family member, by just allowing us to live here, has done A LOT. we live in the best school district in the county, my son goes to the best elementary in the district- and there's NO WAY i'd be able to afford that level of education on my income alone. I've looked into it. not sure how much the child tax thing is, but i DO know, it doesnt amount to the level of education my son is recieving.
that being said-- does anyone know if this will somehow mess up my financial aid? i plan on going back to school in the fall- but on the FAFSA, i'm claiming my son... but would i still be able to do that, if my tax return doesnt have my son on it?
They should have talked with you about this. Yes they can claim your child as a dependant as long as you have been living with them over half the year if you are certain relations or the full year if you are unrelated.
Honestly I think it's the least you could do since you are living their rent free. And providing the roof over your child's head is the biggest expense.
-----you can do an amendment to correct the mistake, but of course don't use the same person that prepared them in this case. The person that prepared your taxes doesn't have to know anything about it. Does your mail come to this household, or do you have a PO box? The way they do taxes this day and time is usually direct deposit.
Quoting autism-mom2004:
I am new to cafemom but if you'd like my advice (since my husband, kids and I live with family free), I would go to hrblock. Then take your tax return with you and have them amend your 2011 taxes. Then you can add a dependant and get add'l $ back. You could also do it for free on your own by going to www.its.gov and search amend your 2011 tax return. But yeah that totally takes money from both of you, so you should amend it but if it would get weird around the other family member, just don't tell him/her that your amending it.
Quoting ednaamelia:
An accontant usually isn't really trained in tax matters thoroughly.
-----if this statement is true---I have been messing up for 44 years. LOL
Uhm... I would go to a tax office and get it Amended... It could mess up your taxes for next year.
I think my husband's a sociopath