You absolutely CAN claim HOH status, even though someone else is claiming your grandchild as a dependent! Turbotax is wrong, and so are the folks saying that you have to have a dependent to use HOH status. You need a qualifying person -- not necessarily a dependent. I went to the IRS Interactive Tax Assistant to determine filing status. I entered: my marital status is single; I paid more than 1/2 the cost of keeping the home in which I live; my minor grandchild lived with me for more than half of the year, did not provide any of their own support, and was not married. In answer to the question of whether I can claim them as a dependent, I said "No" and in answer to the question whether someone else can claim them, I said "Yes." The IRS says my filing status is HOH. Because I didn't realize that Turbotax was providing incorrect information, I need to file an amended return. I finally figured out how to get the Turbotax software to prepare the amended federal return to show HOH status, but I can't figure out how to get it properly prepare my amended state return.
