<prompt> Human: I took care of my father for 6 months until he died in July. When I claimed him as a dependent and e-filed my taxes, they were rejected because apparently his ssn comes back as belonging to a deceased person. But that is correct. He is dead. I claimed to have supported him for 6 months, he died in the 7th. I have tried looking for info online, some say his ssn is locked and I can have it unlocked but I have to call the irs, I tried that but it just has an automated menu that takes me nowhere. Some resources say to contact the social security administration, but Im not really sure what I am asking for. Just need a little advice on what to do. I am tempted to just say forget it but not claiming him means a loss of almost 1,000 and I paid wayyy more than that taking care of him.  <response>: From Publication 17 Dependent Rules for a Qualifying Relative: A person who died during the year, but lived with you as a member of yourhousehold until death, will meet this test. If your dependent died during the year and you otherwise qualify to claim an exemption for the dependent, you can still claim the exemption. 