- 14 - as a member of such household, of any person who is a dependent of the taxpayer, if the taxpayer is entitled to a deduction for the taxable year for such person under section 151. Section 151 allows the taxpayer to claim an exemption deduction for a dependent whose gross income for the calendar year in which the taxable year of the taxpayer begins is less than the “exemption amount”. Sec. 151(c)(1)(A) and (d)(1). Included among those that qualify as dependents is a taxpayer’s brother, so long as more than half of his support for the year at issue was received from the taxpayer. See sec. 152(a)(3). Petitioner, who during 2000 was married but separated from her husband, testified that her brother, born in 1976, has been living with her since his last year in high school. She stated that since then she has been supporting her brother and has paid all his expenses, including his education, food, clothing, and rent. Petitioner testified that her brother worked in several part-time jobs during 2000 but that she did not know how much he had earned. Respondent introduced into evidence documents showing that petitioner’s brother filed a Federal income tax return for 2000 in which he reported gross income of $7,789. We have already noted that the burden is on petitioner to establish that she is entitled to head-of-household filing status. Apart from petitioner’s testimony, however, she did not offer any other credible evidence that would substantiate that her home constituted the principal place of abode for her brother during the year in question or that she provided more than halfPage: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011