<prompt> Human: My parents told me to claim 4 dependents so I dont get that much tax taken out. They both said they have been doing this since they were 18 and its not a big deal, I just dont get a big tax return. I asked my friend who claims 3 dependents and he said he does it for the same reason. All make over 80k a year not sure if that matters and I make 55. Is this illegal note: this is my first real job out of college and have no idea how any of this really works  <response>: Its not a dependent, its an exemption. And yes youre allowed to claim as many as you want but come tax time if you didnt pay enough taxes you may get penalized. 