Married but seperated for 2 years. We lived apart for 2 years. Am I wrong for filing "single/HOH"? My children lived with me as well.

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
June 1, 2019
3 replies
57 views

We lived apart for about 2 and a half years. I filed as single/head of household with my children as dependents.

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Best answer by ChristinaS

No, Head of Household is a permissible filing status for certain married people who have lived apart for the last 6 months of the year. As long as you are "keeping up a home" for these children, you are not doing anything wrong.

You can also verify this with the IRS using their nifty tool below.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/what-is-my-filing-status

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501/ar02.html#en_US_2016_publink1000220775

Considered unmarried for HOH: Your spouse didn't live in your home during the last 6 months of the tax year. Your spouse is considered to live in your home even if he or she is temporarily absent due to special circumstances.

ChristinaSAnswer

Level 10

You can also verify this with the IRS using their nifty tool below.

https://www.irs.gov/uac/what-is-my-filing-status

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p501/ar02.html#en_US_2016_publink1000220775

BYENZER

Level 2

Will your spouses debt still fallow you when you file hoh while being seperated?

macuser_22

Alumni - Champ

@BYENZER wrote:

Will your spouses debt still fallow you when you file hoh while being seperated?

No. A spouses debt can only be taken for a joint tax return and even then you can file an injured spouse (8379) form to protect your portion of any refund that is based on your income.

**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**