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What do you mean by "restitution"? Are you under the impression that whatever tax deduction he got by claiming you as a dependent is money that was actually taken away from you? You are not entitled to anything from his tax deductions. That's not how it works. Also, as someone else pointed out, if you did not pay any taxes during the time you were living at home and working two jobs, you are going to be the one with the tax problems should you attempt to cause trouble for your father with the IRS.
My kids and I coordinated when we were going to stop claiming them, because I knew if we claimed them and they claimed themselves, we'd probably get audited and end up owing taxes plus penalties. If you were living in your parents' house instead of paying rent somewhere else, I'd say they were largely supporting you.
A couple of years I claimed one of my daughters on taxes because we would have had to pay a whole lot more in taxes if we didn't claim her. What I did was pay her the amount SHE would have gotten back if she'd claimed herself, and even with giving her that amount it saved us on taxes. Technically we were supporting her, paying tuition, books, car insurance, cell phone, etc., but I didn't want to claim her and her get nothing because she was paying some of her own expenses too.
Thanks for your responses, though some were more constructive than others..
Obviously I need to clarify a few things:
- Tuition was very cheap for me because of an international agreement that allowed me to pay in-province rates, which are heavily subsidized. That said, I paid it ALL with a Stafford Loan (which provides almost nothing the first two years) and the money I paid from working at a restaurant for two years in high school. Same with other living expenses such as rent, food, and everything else.
- I only lived with my parents during the summer months, which was four months out of the year.
- My dad gave me $150 every month. That's it.
- Yes, I filed regular tax returns. As a dependent though I didn't get the tax benefits that independents get.
- "Restitution" maybe wasn't the right term. I'm trying to figure out just how unjust the situation was and also, most importantly, to get more help with repaying my Stafford Loan. I have no idea what the one guy was talking about when he mentioned "blackmailing" my father. I've never blackmailed anyone.
I look forward to hearing your responses now that these issues have been clarified.
What I did was pay her the amount SHE would have gotten back if she'd claimed herself, and even with giving her that amount it saved us on taxes. Technically we were supporting her, paying tuition, books, car insurance, cell phone, etc., but I didn't want to claim her and her get nothing because she was paying some of her own expenses too.
You filed as a dependent and so did your parents. Everything is as it should be. Fair, just and legal. Whatever you are cooking up now reeks of "My parents owe me something", which is completely irrational. You are a married, adult man who got a college education thanks to them...so act like one.
I gotta say, if either of my kids approached me with this sort of thing I'd hand them a bill for every year from 1-18.
In all the time you were in college and then living in your father's home but working 2 jobs...did you ever file a tax return?? You filing one using your own social security number would have caused the IRS to question his right to claim you, since he would have used your SS number on his return also. If you didn't file taxes that whole time...you are going to open a huge can of worms for yourself by trying to get something back from your dad.
Huh?
I filed tax returns though college and high school under my social security number. What else was I supposed to file them under? I never took the standard deduction, obviously, as my mom claimed me as a dependent.
That's what I was asking, basically. If the OP did file taxes (which we have since found out that he did), then he MUST have filed as a dependent on his father's returns. He KNEW at the time that he was being claimed as a dependent...why fuss now?
That's what I was asking, basically. If the OP did file taxes (which we have since found out that he did), then he MUST have filed as a dependent on his father's returns. He KNEW at the time that he was being claimed as a dependent...why fuss now?
As I wrote, I wasn't aware at the time of the implications of filing as a dependent. Additionally, this was just a few years ago, not decades ago. Finally, as I already made clear, this is about making a case to him whereby I can point out that he benefited financially from keeping me as a dependent five years post-high school, despite largely supporting myself.
TO everyone trying to comment on this thread....
The OP is CANADIAN.
He is not an AMerican citizen,
HE DOESNT FILE WITH THE USA>
He has different tax system than we do.
The fact that he went to school here is irrelevant.
IF YOU ARE CANADIAN< and know their tax system, comment.
I'm an American, so I can't comment on a tax system that I don't
know.
My advise to you is to contact your local tax office in Canada, and
ask them your questions.
And remember, your dad loves you and will always be there for you to
move in with him until you SCREW him over.
Don't burn your safety net.
Wives can divorce you but he will always be your dad.
TO everyone trying to comment on this thread....
The OP is CANADIAN.
He is not an AMerican citizen,
HE DOESNT FILE WITH THE USA>
He has different tax system than we do.
The fact that he went to school here is irrelevant.
IF YOU ARE CANADIAN< and know their tax system, comment.
I'm an American, so I can't comment on a tax system that I don't
know.
My advise to you is to contact your local tax office in Canada, and
ask them your questions.
And remember, your dad loves you and will always be there for you to
move in with him until you SCREW him over.
Don't burn your safety net.
Wives can divorce you but he will always be your dad.
Thanks.. except my parents live in the States. I went to university here, then moved back in with them in the US for a while before permanently settling here. Everything I wrote is specific to the US.
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