<prompt> Human: So my parents called me today saying that because I filled my own taxes that they cant claim me as a dependent and are losing 4k in taxes because of it. Im not sure why. Can anyone elaborate as to why me filing my taxes causes them to lose anything on their taxes.  <response>: If you claim your personal exemption, no one can claim you as a dependent, which means they cant lower their taxable income by claiming your exemption.The real question here is whether or not they _could have_ claimed you as a dependent. If they can claim you, you _cant_ claim yourself, even if they dont claim you. So if you were either a qualifying child or qualifying relative for last year and claimed your personal exemption on your tax return, youll need to amend your tax return since you werent actually allowed to. If you werent a qualifying relative or qualifying child, you dont have to change anything, and your parents cant claim you. 