topic Re: Tax deduction in Deductions & credits

Tax deduction

Bernie321 — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:39:00 GMT

I am a 68 year old widow who has permanent custody of my 12 year old granddaughter. I claimed her on turbo tax and they are saying filing single is how I should file. Why wouldn't I file head of household. It would be a larger tax credit?

Re: Tax deduction

xmasbaby0 — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 18:36:52 GMT

Yes----you should be able to file as HOH if you are claiming your grandchild as a dependent. HOH gives you a higher standard deduction---which makes more of your income "tax free"

Did your grandchild live with you for at least seven months of 2022?

To claim a grandchild as your dependent

When you enter the child’s name in Personal Info, you will be asked “What’s your relationship to [child’s name]?”

Choose “another person”

a drop down menu will appear that lets you choose grandchild

Make sure you have entered the child as a dependent in My Info, and that you have entered the child's Social Security number. Careful— do not say that your child’s SSN is not valid for employment. There is an oddly worded question that asks if the child paid over half their own support. Say NO to that question.

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 MyInfo, and then enter your qualifying dependent, TurboTax will offer HOH as your filing status.

Re: Tax deduction

xmasbaby0 — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 18:37:23 GMT

Your standard deduction lowers your taxable income. It is not a refund. You will see your standard or itemized deduction amount on line 12 of your 2022 Form 1040.

2022 STANDARD DEDUCTION AMOUNTS

SINGLE $12,950 (65 or older + $1750)

MARRIED FILING SEPARATELY $12,950 (65 or older + $1750)

MARRIED FILING JOINTLY $25,900 (65 or older + $1400 per spouse)

HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD $19,400 (65 or older +$1750)

Legally Blind + $1750

Re: Tax deduction

xmasbaby0 — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 18:46:32 GMT

A question-----in what year did you become a widow? For the year that your spouse passed away you can file a joint return. Then for the next two years if you have a qualified child dependent you can file with the filing status of Qualified Surviving Spouse---which gives you the same standard deduction as a married joint return.