If any of the children are your own biological children, then you can file as HOH. Understand, though, that filing as head of household has nothing at all to do with home ownership.
Am I Head of Household?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894553-do-i-qualify-for-head-of-household
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2900097-what-is-a-qualifying-person-for-head-of-household
If you qualify as Head of Household, when you enter your marital status (single or married filing separately) into My Info, and then enter your qualifying dependent, TurboTax will offer HOH as your filing status.
We cannot say whether you can claim your GF as a dependent--you have not mentioned whether she had any income for the year. If she had $5050 of her own income (not counting any Social Security) you cannot claim her as a dependent. If she had less than $5050 of income, then you may be able to claim her for the $500 credit for other dependents. The children who are not your own bio-children can only be claimed for the $500 credit for other dependents--not for child tax credit or earned income credit, nor for childcare credit.
WHO CAN I CLAIM AS A DEPENDENT?
You can claim a child, relative, friend, or fiancé (etc.) as a dependent on your 2023 taxes as long as they meet the following requirements:
Qualifying child
- They're related to you.
- They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They're under the age of 19 (or 24 for full-time students).
- No age limit for permanently and totally disabled children.
- They lived with you for more than half the year (exceptions apply).
- They didn't provide more than half of their own support for the year.
Qualifying relative
- They don't have to be related to you (despite the name).
- They aren't claimed as a dependent by someone else.
- They're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, national, or a Canadian or Mexican resident.
- They aren’t filing a joint return with their spouse.
- They lived with you the entire year (exceptions apply).
- They made less than $5050 in 2024.
- You provided more than half of their financial support.
When you add someone as a dependent, we'll ask a series of questions to make sure you can claim them. There may be other tax benefits you can get when you claim a dependent.
Related Information:
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
