Amend

[ClayBoyLewis]

So I am looking to amend mine and my girls tax returns. Hers was reflected but mine was accepted. I made the mistake of claiming head of house hold and she did the same. So I am looking to fix mine to single and my girls to head of house hold so she can claim the baby and we can get everything fixed

[MarilynG1]

Since her return was Rejected, open it in TurboTax and change her Filing Status to Single and Efile again. This would be the easiest solution for you. 

Since your return was already Accepted, it is easier to change her return.  Technically, if you live together with your child, the one with the higher AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) should claim Head of Household. 

Click the link for info on Tie Breaker Rules.

If you do want to Amend your Return, you have to mail in an Amended Return after you receive your refund.  Your girl won't be able to Efile and claim your child as you have already done that and been Accepted, so her Efile would Reject.  She would have to mail in her return.

Click the link for more info on How to Amend a 2018 Return. 

[ClayBoyLewis]

So here’s the tricky part I didn’t actually claim her as a dependent I claimed her is something else and I can’t remember what it was but I actually didn’t get a full credit or anything like that for her. So that’s why I’m going to amend mine in claim single and have my girl claim head of household with the baby

[MarilynG1]

You probably claimed her as your Qualifying Child for Head of Household, and this is OK.   If you entered that she lived with you over 6 months, you probably got the Earned Income Credit, which is the largest credit for children (larger than claiming her as a Dependent). 

Did your girl have higher income than you?  The one with the highest income claims Head of Household. Remember, you don't 'get' $2,000 just for claiming a Dependent. 

Open your return and look at it.  See if you got the Earned Income Credit.  If you did, then don't Amend.  It takes weeks to process, and you will have to pay back part of your refund with the Amended Return.

Also, your girl WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EFILE; she will have to mail in her return.  She can Efile as Single, and claim your daughter as her Dependent, for the Child Tax Credit.  

That way, between both of you, you will have received all the child credits.

[ClayBoyLewis]

So if I’m looking at it correctly I did not get the Child tax credit because I did not put her down as a dependent. So I must’ve got the earned income credit. That being said can my girl put hers to single and put my daughter down as a dependent still and get some of that money back as well or no

[DavidS127]

Because your return was rejected, you do not need to file an amendment, just "fix" the return.  But, if the "fixed" return has your daughter or her child listed as a dependent, the return will be rejected because the IRS has already accepted an efiled return with those social security numbers.  Instead, you will need to print and mail the tax return to the IRS.

You should consider which of you will claim a Head of Household (HOH) status, and who can be claimed as a dependent on your tax return.  This Table 5 from IRS Publication 501 is a good way to check if your daughter and/or your grandchild can be claimed as a dependent on your tax return.  If you can claim your daughter and your grandchild as dependents, and otherwise qualify for head of household, you can claim the Child Tax Credit or Credit for Other Dependents for them.  And, doing so may increase your Earned Income Tax Credit (EIC/EITC)

If you decide to file HOH, your daughter will need to file an amended return as a single person with no dependents.

To help you decide the correct course, you can prepare your return, and compare it with what your daughter's amended tax return shows.

Click this link for instructions on how to file an amended return with TurboTax