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LAMB01 Asked March 2016

Can I claim my mother as a dependent?

She owns a house but will not sell it.   My mother has lived with in our house for 3 years, 12 months/year. Her only income is her $675/month Social Security check. We pay for all of her food, housing, and clothing, She contributes $0/month to any of the expenses in our home. We also provide her transportation to/from doctors and entertainment. She owns her own home but is unable to live by herself for medical reasons and is unwilling to sell her house. She continues to pay the utilities and insurance premiums for her empty house.

Can my husband and I claim her as a dependent on our Federal Income tax even if she owns her own home but lives with us?

freqflyer Mar 2016
I doubt you can claim your mother as a dependent if she still owns a house. She should have been renting out the house during the past 3 years to gain some income to help pay you for helping her with her care. But it was her decision to keep the house, leave it vacant, thus she has to deal with the responsibility of her decision.

By the way, does the home insurance company know that the house is vacant? Most home insurance companies will either add a "vacant" rider to the insurance which is expensive, or will cancel the insurance because the house is now a high risk. It all depends on the insurance carrier.

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