topic My 21 year old son and I live in my parents home. I pay rent and we buy our own food. I paid more than 50% of my son's expenses (he was unemployed). Do I qualify as HOH? in Investors & landlords

My 21 year old son and I live in my parents home. I pay rent and we buy our own food. I paid more than 50% of my son's expenses (he was unemployed). Do I qualify as HOH?

adaleida — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 01:36:54 GMT

My rent is small, but I also pay for the cable/internet. My parent's home is fully paid for, but I don't pay utilities or property taxes.

Re: My 21 year old son and I live in my parents home. I pay rent and we buy our own food. I paid more than 50% of my son's expenses (he was unemployed). Do I qualify as HOH?

Carl — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 01:51:33 GMT

The only thing I see that may be called into question (since you live with your parents, even though you pay rent to them) is if you pay more than half the cost of keeping up a home.

If your son was a full time student for any one semester in 2020 and meets all the other qualifications under the "qualifying child" rules,

********OR*******

If he was not a full time student for any one semester that started in 2020 and qualifies as your dependent under the "Qualifying Relative" rules

***THEN***

You can file HOH.

Re: My 21 year old son and I live in my parents home. I pay rent and we buy our own food. I paid more than 50% of my son's expenses (he was unemployed). Do I qualify as HOH?

TomD8 — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:21:16 GMT

To add to @Carl 's answer, the IRS says that the costs of "keeping up a home" include such things as rent, mortgage interest, real estate taxes, insurance on the home, repairs, utilities, and food eaten in the home.

To file HOH you must have paid more than half of these costs on your parents' home - along with the other requirements.