YORK, Pa. (AdAge.com) -- The beer you drink says a lot about you -- even before you've had a few too many. Your choice of beer can be as telling about your personality as what kind of clothing you wear or the car that you drive.
In fact, your support must be at least half of the cost of what it takes to keep her comfortable. That cost includes any money spent on items as various as food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. If your support is not at least 50% of the total, you cannot claim your parent as your dependent.
However, an exception is made for the birth of your child. You can claim your baby as a dependent for the tax year as long as the baby was born in that tax year. For example, you could claim your baby on your taxes for 2015 and subsequent years if she was born on Dec. 31, 2015. However, if the baby was born on Jan. 1, 2016 or after, you could only claim her for the 2016 tax year and beyond. In order to claim your baby as a dependent, she needs to have a Social Security number.