Filing Status

[cj80charlie]

An unmarried couple that live together in the same household have a 5 year old child.  The father had been claiming the child as a dependent and filing as head of household because the mother was in school.  The mother has graduated and worked in 2019.  She filed as single and claimed their child as a dependent.  Can the father still claim head of household? 

Turbo Tax keeps putting the status as single because the child is not a dependent.

[DoninGA]

If the mother is claiming the child on her tax return, then the father cannot claim the child on his tax return nor have Head of Household filing status since there is no dependent on his return.

[VolvoGirl]

Maybe it would be better for the mother not to claim the child and let the father claim Head of Household and the child.  You need to try it both ways.   She can amend to take the child off.  

[cj80charlie]

@DoninGA 

@ So can the father claim head of household naming the child as a qualifying person?

Because both parents pay\split household expenses - shouldn't one of them get to file HOH?

[DoninGA]

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@cj80charlie wrote:

@DoninGA 

@ So can the father claim head of household naming the child as a qualifying person?

Because both parents pay\split household expenses - shouldn't one of them get to file HOH?

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To have Head of Household filing status one of you Must have provided more the one-half the cost to maintain the household, even if by $1.  Then that person can claim the child on their tax return and have HOH filing status.  The other person can only file as Single with no dependent being claimed on their tax return.