[sageofages]

Originally posted by SmartBlondeGPhB
I forget what the age is, but they have to be supporting you I beleive at least 6 months out of the year and you have to be in school.

My parents claimed me up until my final year of college (1992) and I was pissed because I ended up OWING taxes when I filed because I worked for 6 months after college.

If all you have is earned income and interest, you will only need to file 1040 EZ which is exactly what it's name says......EASY. You should have no trouble filing it by yourself. I have never had to pay anyone to help me yet and I have way more than just those two things.

www.irs.gov will give you all of the rules. I believe the dependant one is detailed there because I remember trying to argue with my dad on it.

I believe you can amend your federal return for 3 years after the fact. The fact that you didn't file one year (when you should have) though is a big no-no to the IRS and will involve penalties and late fees if you owe anything.

Living through tax hell...

I know you can amend your return for at least 12 years....cause we just did that under the guidance of the IRS.