Did I support my self

Forum|Forum|11 months ago
April 16, 2025
2 replies
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I was a full-time student as of 2024 and at that time I was using a state stipend to support myself is that considered supporting myself for taxes

Best answer by DaveF1006

It depends. Whether a state stipend qualifies as supporting yourself for tax purposes depends on how the IRS defines "support." Generally, support includes expenses like housing, food, clothing, medical care, and education costs. However, the IRS typically considers earned income—such as wages from a job—as true self-support, while stipends, scholarships, and grants may not fully count.

If your stipend was used for tuition, fees, or required supplies, it might be non-taxable, but if it covered living expenses, it could be considered taxable income. Here is a worksheet the IRS provides to help you determine whether or not you provided your own support.

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Hal_Al

Scholarships are generally not considered as support, for the dependent support calculation.

But, it depends on more details about your "state stipend". Why did you get it what did you do to get it, e.g. work on a research project. Was the stipend reported as taxable income? If so, on what form (W-2, 1099, 1098-T)?

If you asking the question because you want to know whether you qualify for the refundable portion of the American Opportunity Credit (AOC), as opposed to whether you qualify as a dependent, the income must be classified as earned income. Taxable scholarship is not earned income, for that purpose.