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Tax Research - Memo to the File - Dependency Exemption

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Memorandum-to-the-File Date: May 25, 2011 From: Brenda Hall Re: How many dependency exemptions John and Janet Baker can claim for the year? Facts John and Janet Baker are husband and wife and maintain a household of 7, including Janet and John. Calvin and Florence Carter are Janet’s parents, who are retired. During the year, they received $19,000 in nontaxable funds (disability income, interest on municipal bonds and Social Security benefits) from which $8,000 was equally spent between them on clothing, transportation, and recreation. The remaining $11,000 was invested in tax-exempt securities. Janet Baker paid $1,000 for her mother’s dental work and $1,200 premium on her father’s own life insurance policy. Janet’s father, …show more content…

Should Darin’s income be included in the computation of support? Is the amount of $21,000 that Andrea used to purchase a new vehicle includable in the support test? Is the amount of student loan that Morgan obtained considered self-support? Applicable Law Section 152(a) provides that for a taxpayer to take a dependency exemption, the potential dependent must satisfy either the qualifying child requirement or the qualifying relative requirement. Section 152(b)(2) indicates that the taxpayer is not permitted a dependency exemption for a married dependent if the married individual files a joint return. Pursuant to section 152(c), the term “qualifying child” refers to an individual who has not furnished over one-half of his or her own support and who has not attained the age of 19 or who has not attained the age of 24, if a full-time student, as of the close of such calendar year. The term “qualifying relative” under section 152(d) includes, but is not limited to, an individual whose gross income is less than the exemption amount and to whom the taxpayer provides over-half of the total individual’s support for the calendar year in which such taxable year begins. Under Reg. Sec. 1.152 (a), support received from the taxpayer is compared to the entire amount of support which the potential dependent received from all sources, including support which the individual supplied himself. Support includes food, shelter, medical and dental care, education, recreation,

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