Qualifying Relative

A federal income tax designation that allows a taxpayer to claim as a dependent someone for whom he or she provided considerable financial support during the tax year. Claiming a qualifying relative as a dependent will allow the taxpayer to take an additional exemption, which will reduce his taxable income, dollar for dollar.

The IRS requires four tests to be passed for a person to be classified as a qualifying relative. They must not be a qualifying child; they must live in the taxpayer's household (but certain types of relatives, including children, siblings, parents, grandparents, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, certain in-laws and certain step-relatives are not required to live in the household); must have had a gross income of less than $3,650 (in 2009), and must have received more than half of their financial support for the year from the taxpayer. A qualifying relative can be any age. IRS Publication 501 provides details about meeting the qualifying relative tests.