Deductions & credits

If you have e-filed your 2020 Federal tax return and the tax return is accepted by the IRS, you may want to amend your 2020 Federal tax return and change the entries to allow you to not claim your son as a dependent.  Amended tax returns will not be available until March.

If you elect this choice, it sounds like you may be paying back some or all of the refund that you receive.

If you have e-filed your 2020 Federal tax return and the tax return is rejected by the IRS, you will be able to change your entries, not claim your son as a dependent as well as correct the entries that generated the rejection.

You may qualify for Head of Household filing status if you:

1. Were unmarried as of December 31, 2020 and
2. Paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home during the tax year (rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.), and
3. Supported a qualifying person.

If you were legally married as of December 31, 2020 and a child lives with you, you may qualify for Head of Household filing status if:

1. You won't be filing jointly with your spouse,
2. Your spouse did not live in your home after June,
3. Your home was your child's, stepchild's, or foster child's main home for more than half the year,
4. You paid more than half the costs of keeping up your home during the tax year
5. You meet the qualifications to claim the child as your dependent, even if the other (noncustodial) parent is actually claiming the child as a dependent on their return

For purposes of qualifying for the Head of Household filing status, a qualifying person is a child, parent or relative who meets certain conditions.

A qualifying child would be:

• Your child (including legally adopted), stepchild, foster child, sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild or niece) AND
• Permanently and totally disabled OR under the age of 19 as of December 31, 2020 (under 24 if a full-time student) and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) AND
• Lived with you for more than half the year AND
• Single (or if the child is married, you would have to qualify to claim them as a dependent even if you're not going to claim them as such). 

A qualifying relative would be:

• Your mother or father, if you are qualified to claim them as a dependent (even if you're not claiming them as such) OR
• A relative related by blood, legal adoption, or marriage other than a parent (child, sibling, grandparent, nephew, aunt, step-parent, in-law, etc.) AND lived with you for more than half the year AND that you're able to claim as a dependent (even if you're not claiming them as such).

TurboTax software will ask you simple questions and give you the filing status that you are eligible for based upon your answers.

See also this TurboTax Help.