I am Head of Household but Turbotax requires me to insert husband's information, who I do not live with, no longer speak to, but am still married to. How to proceed?

[yumyumwendys]

I qualify for Head of Household based on all the conditions outlined on the IRS website and turbotax software. I am legally married to my husband but we have not lived together for several years; we are not on speaking terms. The kids live with me and only I claim them as dependents. Turbotax is asking me to input his personal info, including his social, which I do not have and would not be able to get given that we are not on speaking terms. I just know that he does not file taxes anymore. Is there a way to skip this requirement ?

If I am considered "unmarried' for tax filing purposes, should I actually select single when TurboTax asks me for my marital status instead of "married" but filing separatel? That is, does "unmarried" = "single"? This is my first time doing doing taxes on my own; when I have had them prepared, I was never asked for my husband's information and my taxes were filed as HoH without having to input my spouse's information.

Thank you. I appreciate any help.

[AmyW]

Even though you are legally married, the IRS has an exception for taxpayers in your situation. To get the "considered unmarried" exception in Turbo Tax, you will select Single as your status. As you work through the follow-up questions, the software will determine if you qualify for HoH status.

To qualify as Head of Household, you must meet the following requirements: 

• Pay for more than half of the household expenses
• Be considered unmarried for the tax year, and
• You must have a qualifying child or dependent.

You can find out more specific information about the requirements and what is considered unmarried by the IRS for the tax year here.