I paid all living expenses for my dependents at my address for exactly 6 months of the year, then paid less than half the other 6 months, what should my filing status be?

[xmasbaby0]

Who are the dependents?

[aleshia222]

My son and a parent

[Coleen3 · Accepted solution]

It depends. You may still qualify for Head of Household. The status does not break down expenses into time period. It looks at the year as a whole: You paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for the year.

You would need to compare every dollar you put into the cost of maintenance vs every dollar paid by any other person.The items considered are 

Property taxes

Mortgage interest expense

Rent

Utility charges

Repairs/maintenance

Property insurance

Food eaten in the home

Other household expenses

If you do not qualify, then you are Married Filing Separately if you are not divorced or single.

[aleshia222]

Thank you for your reply. To be more specific, I rented a home and paid all expenses for myself, my son and my parent then mid year, all three of us moved into a family members’s home where I paid less than half the cost to maintain that home. So if the family member paid more to maintain their home those six months we lived there, I can not claim head of household??

[Coleen3]

This link will give you more information. It is possible. See if this applies to you.
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5029447">https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/5029447</a>

[aleshia222]

This was very helpful. Thank you again