<prompt> Human: i live paycheck to paycheck barely making it by, i have rent, bills and a car payment.i owe 7k left on the car and have 14k in student loans i havent been able to pay off. i keep putting the loans in deferment for 1 year but that is only increasing the interest i will have to pay on the subsidized loans. i know 14k isnt that much when it comes to student loans but it is a burden i need to get this taken care of but i dont know how i will be able to afford it. i make about 2200 a month i have a girlfriend and 3 kids. girlfriend is a stay home mom. i cant claim kids on taxes since we are not married and they are not blood related.i want to pay off the loans as soon as possible but the financial struggle is real.  <response>: If no one else is claiming them, you can claim the girlfriend and her children as dependents. You do not have to be blood related, you just have to have supported more than 50 of their living expenses, and they must have lived with you for the entirety of 2015.Try the IRS Who Can I Claim as a Dependent? tool to see if they qualify: 