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jxa501
New Member

Can I file head of household at 18?

I’m 18 and was considered head of house hold for half the year while my mother was pregnant and little after she gave birth -since the baby’s father moved in - she won’t or can’t be reporting taxes or my sibilinos (3 of them) since she is not a resident; am I able to put them under my self? Keeping in mind I’m the only person in the home who is working a SSN 

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Accepted Solutions
Hal_Al
Level 15

Can I file head of household at 18?

Yes, being age 18 (or even 17) does not prohibit you from claiming Head of Household (HoH) filing status and claiming your younger siblings as dependents.

The main requirements for Head of Household are: a taxpayer that

1) is single or did not live with their spouse at any time during the last half of the tax year.

2) has at least one closely related dependent (usually a child) that lived with the taxpayer for more than half the year

3) pays over half of the support of the household expenses, including rent / mortgage... It is not necessary that you own the house, only that you paid more than half the expenses.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

.A child closely related (siblings count) to a taxpayer can be a “Qualifying Child (QC)” dependent, regardless of the child's income, if:

1.              He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or  is totally & permanently disabled

2.              He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support

3.              He lived with the relative (including temporary absences) for more than half the year

4.              He is younger than the relative (not applicable for a disabled child)

5.              If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child (this essentially means that you have the parent’s permission to claim the child, if the child also lived with the parent more than half the year)

6.              If the parents of a child can claim the child as a qualifying child but no parent so claims the child, no one else can claim the child as a qualifying child unless that person's adjusted gross income (AGI) is higher than the highest AGI of any of the child's parents who can claim the child. 

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7 Replies
maglib
Level 11

Can I file head of household at 18?

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/family/guide-to-filing-taxes-as-head-of-household/L4Nx6DYu9">ht...>
**I don't work for TT. Just trying to help. All the best.
***Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post and that I solved your question
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
I am NOT an expert and you should confirm with a tax expert.
maglib
Level 11

Can I file head of household at 18?

are you a student?  Can you be claimed by someone else?  Note regardless of if they do claim you?  IRS has a Q&A to determine who you can claim  <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/whom-may-i-claim-as-a-dependent">https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/whom-may-...>
**I don't work for TT. Just trying to help. All the best.
***Say "Thanks" by clicking the thumb icon in a post and that I solved your question
**Mark the post that answers your question by clicking on "Mark as Best Answer"
I am NOT an expert and you should confirm with a tax expert.
jxa501
New Member

Can I file head of household at 18?

I graduated in may so I was a student for about half the year, I don’t believe I can be claim by anyone else considering what I earn, I claim independent since last year.
Hal_Al
Level 15

Can I file head of household at 18?

Another thing we haven't taken into account is: when did the baby's father move in and how much household support has he provided. That might prevent you from claiming HoH status but not from claiming your siblings (other than he baby).

Can I file head of household at 18?

Who is paying for housing? Any govt assistance?
Hal_Al
Level 15

Can I file head of household at 18?

Yes, being age 18 (or even 17) does not prohibit you from claiming Head of Household (HoH) filing status and claiming your younger siblings as dependents.

The main requirements for Head of Household are: a taxpayer that

1) is single or did not live with their spouse at any time during the last half of the tax year.

2) has at least one closely related dependent (usually a child) that lived with the taxpayer for more than half the year

3) pays over half of the support of the household expenses, including rent / mortgage... It is not necessary that you own the house, only that you paid more than half the expenses.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

.A child closely related (siblings count) to a taxpayer can be a “Qualifying Child (QC)” dependent, regardless of the child's income, if:

1.              He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or  is totally & permanently disabled

2.              He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support

3.              He lived with the relative (including temporary absences) for more than half the year

4.              He is younger than the relative (not applicable for a disabled child)

5.              If the child meets the rules to be a qualifying child of more than one person, you must be the person entitled to claim the child as a qualifying child (this essentially means that you have the parent’s permission to claim the child, if the child also lived with the parent more than half the year)

6.              If the parents of a child can claim the child as a qualifying child but no parent so claims the child, no one else can claim the child as a qualifying child unless that person's adjusted gross income (AGI) is higher than the highest AGI of any of the child's parents who can claim the child. 

Can I file head of household at 18?

"head of house hold for half the year"  Did your Mom work the other half?

"she won’t or can’t be reporting taxes or my sibilinos (3 of them) since she is not a resident;"   She is required to claim her income, even if she is undocumented..

One of the keys here is that, in order to claim HOH, you must have provided more than 50% of the support for the entire household for the entire year.  Let's assume for a moment that you didn't work.. How would the bills have been paid? Alimony? Child Support? Disability benefits? Govt assistance? Other? Now add in your income. Is it more than the total of all those?

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