Is this related to your other Q here?
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4074546-gift-tax-and-student-loans">https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4074546-gift-tax-and-student-loans</a>
If you have lived in the same household as your spouse for the last six months of the tax year, you cannot claim to be Head of Household. You can, however, file married filing separately if you choose to.
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 filing status (single or married filing separately) into Personal Info, and then enter your qualifying dependent, TurboTax will offer HOH as your filing status.
Since you seem to have had concerns about a student loan, you should be aware that if you file as married filing separately, you cannot get any education credits or deductions. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately">https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately</a>
Can my spouse file married filing separately and I file head of household?
No. Not if you lived together in the same household. What are you trying to accomplish?
Are either of you on an income-based student loan repayment plan?
We did live apart for the last 6 month of the year and my spouse took care of the two kids. In this case, based on the IRS website, my spouse can certainly file head of household.
https://apps.irs.gov/app/vita/content/globalmedia/4491_filing_status.pdf
Now my questions are:
1. What's my filing status? Married filing separately?
2. If mine is MFS and hers is HOH, do we have to both itemize or standardize deduction, which is required by IRS for two MFS; or my spouse can standardize deduction and I itemize deduction?
If your spouse had the children and is filing HOH, then you file Married Filing Separately. Since she is filing HOH you are not subject to that rule about both itemizing or both using standard deduction. But if you are itemizing----there is still no "double dipping" allowed for the amounts you enter.