Can i claim my mother?

[motorace]

so my father passed away this summer and i'm now taking care of my mother. can i claim her as a dependant? will then she have zero exemptions? she is retired and recieves my fathers social security now. what a joke might i add. if my father hadnt busted his ass and paid off the house, she would be screwed. sucks that she gets pennies to the dollar that my dad worked for.

[shbeachbum]

Go to the IRS website and search for publication 17 for "exemptions for dependents". In there it will explain to you the 4 tests that must be met for claiming dependents.

[Joe H]

You can but I'm not sure of all the details. We were in the exact same situation for the last couple of years before my mother in law passed away. We decided not to do it in our situation because it was just about a wash but everyones situation is different.