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My guess (and I am sure the CPA's out there can clarify!) is that they were incorrectly answering a question devised to determine a "custodial parent". This question is asked when parents don't live together and share custody, to see which parent can claim the child on their returns. The parent who has the child "more than 6 months out of the year" is considered the "custodial parent." This has nothing to do with how long your child has been in your home whether by birth or adoption, as babies born on 12/31 are good news for bio parents since they can be claimed for that year's tax return, and not on a pro-rated basis.
Hopefully this family can file an amended return and correct this, as it seems they have some $$ due them.
Jen
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