🌟🌟WOW, this has been a lively discussion and I appreciate everyone's thoughts. Here is the response I have for the original question: As a dog lover myself (pic of our two included) I can understand the motivation to ask about this possibility. Here is my reason for a "no" response: Why Not? The tax rules are very clear that a dependent must be a person. The law has two types of dependents: a "qualifying child" and a "qualifying relative". - A qualifying child must be your son, daughter, stepchild, sibling, or a descendant of one of these. - A qualifying relative can be a parent, grandparent, in-law, or someone who lives with you all year. As you can see, these rules are all about relationships between people. Pets, no matter how much they are part of the family, do not fit into these categories. What Have the Courts Said? Courts have looked at this issue before and have always stuck to the rule that a dependent must be a human being. There was a case where a person could deduct some costs for taking care of foster cats. However, this was allowed because the person was volunteering for an animal rescue charity. The deduction was for expenses related to charity work, not for claiming the cats as dependents. The Bottom Line The law is very specific: dependents are people. While pets are beloved family members, they don't qualify for a dependency exemption on your taxes. For the lawsuit to succeed, Congress would have to change the law. With that said, very interesting what Mexico has done, @gary newell. Also I appreciate the UK perspective @Angela Day. And I always love to hear @Andi Vega's legal opinion! 🌟🌟 @Lisa Z posed this question in Skool of Tax: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/taxes/2025/12/24/new-york-attorney-sues-irs-dog-dependent/87899358007/

One of the most important things I've learned since becoming an online entrepreneur is that the most important thing you can do to grow your business is to build relationships. Many of us (myself included) have rushed to promote our groups and services that we care so deeply about. And it only makes sense - we are excited about what we are doing! Today, I'd like to invite you to take a step back and introduce yourself to the group by answering the following questions: 1. Who are you personally? 2. Who are you professionally? 3. What is something you love doing outside of work? 4. What is something surprising about you? As you open up and make more connections, you will find that not only are people more interested in what you do, but they will also be more interested in helping you make connections with other people they know! 😉 After you introduce yourself, please scroll through the other introductions and add a comment to someone you have something in common with or would like to know more about. 😊 Please add your introduction in the comments below! ⬇️

Let’s spread the love! IN THE COMMENTS BELOW…. For #FriendFriday, recommend a Skool group or program that is not yours that you think would be valuable for the group. Then, send your friend a message letting them know you mentioned them here. 😊 Provide context and not just the link, please.