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widower

bossx — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:23:04 GMT

my wife passed away in 2021 and i filed jointly and it says you can file as surviving widower the following 2 years i have my custody of my granddaughter who lives with me all year but why does it tells me head of house hold

Re: widower

Bsch4477 — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:04:25 GMT

A granddaughter qualifies you for Head of Household but not for Qualifying Widower.

Re: widower

DMarkM1 — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:18:38 GMT

As noted by Bsch4477 and in IRS Publication 501 to be eligible to file as a Qualifying Surviving Spouse, your dependent who lived with you all year in a home you paid more than 1/2 the cost to maintain must be your child or step child. A grandchild will qualify you for head of household status.