Adult dependents who are struggling to get $1400 stimulus check money from their parents

[RastaMentality]

Note that this applies to disabled folks and the elderly because they all fall under the "adult dependent" category to the IRS.

Saw a few tweets about people with parents they have bad relationships with not being able to get their stimulus check money:

Should adult dependents get the money separately from parents? Is anybody in here in the same situation?

 

[TheKid]

nah, if they’re dependents they are depending on their parents and they have been taking care of them through this. This should be able to cover some of the costs...

 

[Mizzourah]

Lots of room for individual circumstances to differ, but I think the first step for these individuals is to ensure their parents don’t claim them as dependents. If they’re relying on them for enough support to be rightfully considered a dependent, then the money should be going to the parents as designed.

 

[harry the spy]

Saw a few tweets about people with parents they have bad relationships with not being able to get their stimulus check money:

Should adult dependents get the money separately from parents? What if their parents pay for their tuition? Discuss.

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If they truly are dependent (as in the parents spend significant amount of income for the kids one way or another) they shouldn’t get the money unless the parents have money to spare.

 

[Arcade55]

I mean the situation may very, like everything in life. (relationship with parents etc.)

But I assume if you are being claimed as a dependent you either live under your parents roof, eat their food, or they are supporting you while you go to college right?

Like If I had told my dad he OWED ME money while I was in college he likely would have laughed in my face. Rightfully so.

 

[Hogendaz85]

Depends on some things but if an adult dependent lives at home and doesn’t have to pay rent, is on parents insurance and has most things taken care of by their parents since they are dependent then it does make sense for their parents to get it. That said I’m sure there are circumstances where the dependent should get it too

 

[NinjaScooter]

If those people are dependents isn’t that the entire intent of the check since it’s based on tax filings?

 

[ExoExplorer]

Dad claimed me as a dependent when he shouldn't have. Sending in amended forms and paper filing has been really confusing. At this point I'm not sure if I'll ever see the stimulus money. I guess it could be worse for me but it ain't fun.

 

[TheMadTitan]

nah, if they’re dependents they are depending on their parents and they have been taking care of them through this. This should be able to cover some of the costs...

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It's contextual; you can't just blanket it like that.

If they're a dependent due to mobility issues or something, but they have their own bank account to even worry about getting a $1400 check, they should get the check.

 

[Damaniel]

About all you can do in that case is stop letting your parent claim you as a dependent, since the idea of claiming someone as a dependent is that that person is financially dependent on the person filing the taxes and as such the stimulus should be going to the filer and not the dependent.

In my parents' case, they claim my adult sister (who is physically disabled due to a work accident) as a dependent, and they'll be giving her that part of the stimulus check - but there's no legal obligation to.

 

[RastaMentality]

There was a pretty common situation last year with recent graduates getting shut out because they got claimed in 2019. But if you file taxes this year, you should get the recovery rebate credit.

Dad claimed me as a dependent when he shouldn't have. Sending in amended forms and paper filing has been really confusing. At this point I'm not sure if I'll ever see the stimulus money. I guess it could be worse for me but it ain't fun.

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This probably happens to a lot of people especially people with poorer parents. The deductions are too sweet.

 

[Dyle]

The only way to solve this would be a slow and laborious process that would probably piss off more people than this does. People are already mad they aren't getting their money within a week of the bill passing, imagine how much this would slow things down

 

[Intraxidance]

nah, if they’re dependents they are depending on their parents and they have been taking care of them through this. This should be able to cover some of the costs...

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This isn't always the case. My parents provided me no support during college and claimed me as dependent on their taxes - I was too ignorant on the process to know any better. Amending the tax returns after the fact seemed like far too much of a hassle and would've screwed my parents out of a fair amount of money they couldn't afford.

 

[Goldenroad]

nah, if they’re dependents they are depending on their parents and they have been taking care of them through this. This should be able to cover some of the costs...

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Pretty much. If you're a "dependent", your parents are covering off your cost of living, so this is to help them with those costs, isn't it? Maybe I'm misunderstanding this though. Are these people paying their own way/living on their own, and still being claimed as a dependent by their parents without their permission? That seems pretty sketchy to me, and they should probably go talk to a lawyer, or seek some kind of legal counsel. I know I would.

 

[GoemonTheNinja]

Wait so adult dependents are in the same categories whether you're dependent because of an illness or handicap and if you're just staying home to save money?

 

[Ferrio]

nah, if they’re dependents they are depending on their parents and they have been taking care of them through this. This should be able to cover some of the costs...

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Not always that clean and cut, sometimes you're a dependant but your actual caretaker is mia or just a straight piece of shit. I had issues around my college years where I wasn't dependant but a dependant.

 

[kmfdmpig]

I'm sure there are cases in which the dependent children should get the stimulus money. I'm also sure there are other cases in which $1400 doesn't even scratch the surface of the support the parents are providing, so it's hard to have a blanket approach to how best to handle this.

 

[RastaMentality]

Wait so adult dependents are in the same categories whether you're dependent because of an illness or handicap and if you're just staying home to save money?

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Yeah the IRS doesn't cover all of those categories

 

[Commedieu]

The only way to solve this would be a slow and laborious process that would probably piss off more people than this does. People are already mad they aren't getting their money within a week of the bill passing, imagine how much this would slow things down

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Not really. Give checks to everyone who applies/or is claimed by a business as a worker, and then figure it out later who shouldn't have had one and send them fines. Pretend the american public is a arm of the military for 3 years, a really secret black project.

The Gov just hands money over to the pentagon even when they've said they have enough.

 

[nsilvias]

Parents will claim they're kids even if there kids work and pay for all there own stuff to the people above. Parents like to milk that shit since technically they can keep it going til the kid is like 24.

 

[nekkid]

The key word there is “dependents”.

 

[NinjaScooter]

Parents will claim they're kids even if there kids work and pay for all there own stuff to the people above. Parents like to milk that shit since technically they can keep it going til the kid is like 24.

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if these adult kids are working and paying for all their own stuff wouldn’t they be filing taxes though?

probably a dumb question but if someone claims a person as a dependent and that person also turns around and files income tax doesn’t that raise a flag with the irs?

 

[RastaMentality]

if these adult kids are working and paying for all their own stuff wouldn’t they be filing taxes though?

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You gotta tell the IRS you're being claimed as a dependent or it's fraud. My mom claimed me when I was in college but had an internship and I had to say I could be claimed by someone as a dependent.

 

[brainchild]

Before people drop their hot takes, it's important to understand that dependents as far as the tax code is concerned is merely a technicality. It does not mean that said "dependent" is entirely dependent on another person's care/resources, and many people claim dependents in order to exploit the system.

Personally, I'm letting my older kids file their own returns for their own stimulus payments this year and will let them decide what to do with their own money, but that's just me.

 

[UltimateHigh]

nvm.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

If those people are dependents isn’t that the entire intent of the check since it’s based on tax filings?

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Yes, exactly.

 

[Mizzourah]

Parents will claim they're kids even if there kids work and pay for all there own stuff to the people above. Parents like to milk that shit since technically they can keep it going til the kid is like 24.

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Then the issue is the child being claimed as a dependent, regardless of the stimulus payments. The adult child should ensure when they file they are doing so as independent, and leave it up to their parents on whether or not they want to commit tax fraud by claiming them.

 

[taco543]

So im in the opposite situation of this, my dads a sack of shit and Im the one that takes care of him, helps with bills and everything, and hes trying to take my stimulus on top of his when I gave him his 1400. Glad to see shitty parents are universal at least

 

[tokkun]

Even though everyone is calling them "stimulus" checks, the Biden administration made it clear over and over again the purpose of the checks was not stimulus - they were meant to provide relief aid for people who had lost income or incurred new expenses due to the pandemic. That was a big aspect of getting the checks into the bill.

If they are really intended for relief, then it makes sense that they would go to the person paying most of the bills. By the legal definition, if you are an adult dependent, then you are not paying the majority of the bills.

 

[QuigleyMcShine]

I mean if they truly depend on someone it seems like things are functioning as intended.

If you truly get nothing from your parents but they still claim you as a dependent, what happens there? When you file your own taxes doesn't it ask you if someone else is claiming you as a dependent? What happens when there's a discrepancy?

 

[BringBackSonics]

Note that this applies to disabled folks and the elderly because they all fall under the "adult dependent" category to the IRS.

Saw a few tweets about people with parents they have bad relationships with not being able to get their stimulus check money:

Should adult dependents get the money separately from parents? Is anybody in here in the same situation?

Click to shrink...

I mean if they are dependent, then it should go to the people who care for them. My wife's aunt is an adult dependent, and her MIL does everything for her (Takes her shopping, doctors appointments, buys her food etc)

 

[moblin]

It would be an absolute bureaucratic nightmare to attempt to determine which adult dependents "deserve" to have their checks mailed/deposited separately.

 

[Isilia]

nah, if they’re dependents they are depending on their parents and they have been taking care of them through this. This should be able to cover some of the costs...

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I'm lucky, but there are plenty of people who claim their disabled children without doing anything in return for them. Not even housing.

 

[DOT_mjo]

Fuck outta here, the checks are FOR the adult dependents. the ONLY person using that money should be the dependent. Furthermore, it's fucking bullshit that they send the check to the parents.

 

[NinjaScooter]

I'm lucky, but there are plenty of people who claim their disabled children without doing anything in return for them. Not even housing.

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I get that but you also have to imagine that developing a system to get these payments out there quickly and efficiently while taking into account individuals who are effectively committing tax fraud is probably incredibly difficult.

 

[Mizzourah]

Fuck outta here, the checks are FOR the adult dependents. the ONLY person using that money should be the dependent. Furthermore, it's fucking bullshit that they send the check to the parents.

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Why do you feel this? If they are claimed as a dependent they are receiving more than half of their support from those claiming them.

 

[tmarg]

If your parents are claiming you as a dependent and you aren't, that's obviously an issue you need to deal with, but if you are legitimately being claimed as a dependant you are probably recieving far more than $1400 from them in support. Even if you are working, etc. Situations differ obviously, so some parents may be able to provide support and still allow their children to keep their stimulus, but others probably can't.

 

[thisismadness]

I believe as far as the IRS is concerned, the money does not belong to the dependent. Its no different than a parent claiming a child dependent, the money does not belong to the child. It belongs to the person who is providing for them. If someone is committing tax fraud and claiming adults when they should not then that's something else entirely. If the person is such a piece of shit that they're willing to steal from you, then you should threaten to report them to the IRS.

 

[Boondocks]

Fuck outta here, the checks are FOR the adult dependents. the ONLY person using that money should be the dependent. Furthermore, it's fucking bullshit that they send the check to the parents.

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If the parents file as head of household they get a discounted tax rate for any "dependents". I believe the "educational" dependents can be up to 25 years of age and mentally or physically dependent folks for life of the parents.
So the IRS has to go by the law unless they can prove the dependents are actually independent. That means the parents would be paying extra taxes plus a penalty.

 

[Isilia]

I get that but you also have to imagine that developing a system to get these payments out there quickly and efficiently while taking into account individuals who are effectively committing tax fraud is probably incredibly difficult.

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Oh no, I can get that. Especially when it's just a blanket send off.

What it really comes down to is that people are horrible to the disabled. Even their own parents. I hope there is a way they can get their help.

 

[KillingJoke]

Sorry but this is an issue that needs to be resolved with you're family member, Not the IRS. If you're incorrectly being claimed as a dependent though, then I'm pretty sure the IRS will have no issue correcting that.

 

[Mirado]

I think part of the problem with this whole thing is the framing of the checks as "checks" instead of a "tax credit" which is what it actually is. If you don't file taxes, you can't really get a credit for them. In theory, if you are being claimed as a dependent, your livelihood is coming from someone else, so they by rights should get the credit to help support you.

My heart goes out to those in situations where that obviously isn't the case, and I very much wish the mechanism was different so that every adult regardless of tax status would get paid, but that isn't the situation currently. I am not a tax professional, but If you are being claimed as a dependent but are not being supported, your only out seems to be filing your own return and preparing for what is probably a long and drawn out audit process, if whoever is claiming you doesn't give you up willinging by filing an amended return. You can be disabled and still claim yourself as long as you provide more than 50% of your own income for the year, even if you live at the home of whoever claims you.