[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.152-3]

[Page 767-769]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1_INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.152-3  Multiple support agreements.

    (a) Section 152(c) provides that a taxpayer shall be treated as 
having contributed over half of the support of an individual for the 
calendar year (in cases where two or more taxpayers contributed to the 
support of such individual) if--
    (1) No one person contributed over half of the individual's support,
    (2) Each member of the group which collectively contributed more 
than half of the support of the individual would have been entitled to 
claim the individual as a dependent but for the fact that he did not 
contribute more than one-half of such support.
    (3) The member of the group claiming the individual as a dependent 
contributed more than 10 percent of the individual's support, and
    (4) Each other person in the group who contributed more than 10 
percent

[[Page 768]]

of such support furnishes to the taxpayer claiming the dependent a 
written declaration that such other person will not claim the individual 
as a dependent for any taxable year beginning in such calendar year.
    (b) Examples. Application of the rule contained in paragraph (a) of 
this section may be illustrated by the following examples:

    Example (1).  During the taxable year, brothers A, B, C, and D 
contributed the entire support of their mother in the following 
percentages: A, 30 percent; B, 20 percent; C, 29 percent; and D, 21 
percent. Any one of the brothers, except for the fact that he did not 
contribute more than half of her support, would have been entitled to 
claim his mother as a dependent. Consequently, any one of the brothers 
could claim a deduction for the exemption of the mother if he obtained a 
written declaration (as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section) 
from each of the other brothers. Even though A and D together 
contributed more than one-half the support of the mother, A, if he 
wished to claim his mother as a dependent, would be required to obtain 
written declarations from B, C, and D, since each of those three 
contributed more than 10 percent of the support and, but for the failure 
to contribute more than half of the mother's support, would have been 
entitled to claim his mother as a dependent.
    Example (2).  During the taxable year, E, an individual who resides 
with his son, S, received his entire support for that year as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Percentage
                           Source                              of total
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Security............................................           25
N, an unrelated neighbor...................................           11
B, a brother...............................................           14
D, a daughter..............................................           10
S, a son...................................................           40
    Total received by E....................................          100
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    B, D, and S are persons each of whom, but for the fact that none 
contributed more than half of E's support, could claim E as a dependent 
for the taxable year. The three together contributed 64 percent of E's 
support, and, thus, each is a member of the group to be considered for 
the purpose of section 152(c). B and S are the only members of such 
group who can meet all the requirements of section 152(c), and either 
one could claim E as a dependent for his taxable year if he obtained a 
written declaration (as provided in paragraph (a)(4) of this section) 
signed by the other, and furnished the other information required by the 
return with respect to all the contributions to E. Inasmuch as D did not 
contribute more than 10 percent of E's support, she is not entitled to 
claim E as a dependent for the taxable year nor is she required to 
furnish a written declaration with respect to her contributions to E. N 
contributed over 10 percent of the support of E, but, since he is an 
unrelated neighbor, he does not qualify as a member of the group for the 
purpose of the multiple support agreement under section 152(c).

    (c)(1) The member of a group of contributors who claims an 
individual as a dependent for a taxable year beginning before January 1, 
2002, under the multiple support agreement provisions of section 152(c) 
must attach to the member's income tax return for the year of the 
deduction a written declaration from each of the other persons who 
contributed more than 10 percent of the support of such individual and 
who, but for the failure to contribute more than half of the support of 
the individual, would have been entitled to claim the individual as a 
dependent.
    (2) The taxpayer claiming an individual as a dependent for a taxable 
year beginning after December 31, 2001, under the multiple support 
agreement provisions of section 152(c) must provide with the income tax 
return for the year of the deduction--
    (i) A statement identifying each of the other persons who 
contributed more than 10 percent of the support of the individual and 
who, but for the failure to contribute more than half of the support of 
the individual, would have been entitled to claim the individual as a 
dependent; and
    (ii) A statement indicating that the taxpayer obtained a written 
declaration from each of the persons described in section 152(c)(2) 
waiving the right to claim the individual as a dependent.
    (3) The taxpayer claiming the individual as a dependent for a 
taxable year beginning after December 31, 2001, must retain the waiver 
declarations and should be prepared to furnish the waiver declarations 
and any other information necessary to substantiate the claim, which may 
include a statement showing the names of all contributors (whether or 
not members of the group described in section 152(c)(2)) and

[[Page 769]]

the amount contributed by each to the support of the claimed dependent.

[T.D. 6500, 25 FR 11402, Nov. 26, 1960, as amended by T.D. 6603, 28 FR 
7094, July 11, 1963; T.D. 8989, 67 FR 20031, Apr. 24, 2002; T.D. 9040, 
68 FR 4920, Jan. 31, 2003]