To file as head of household, you must furnish over one-half of the cost of maintaining the household for you and a qualifying person. If you only pay your own direct expenses for you and your child, and not for maintaining the household, then you would not qualify for head of household filing status.
The first requirement for filing as Head of Household is that you paid for more than half of the cost involved in maintaining a qualifying household during the tax year. This means that you paid more than half of the total household bills, including rent or mortgage, utility bills, insurance, property taxes, groceries, repairs and other common household expenses. In the case of a parent, your parent doesn’t need to live with you, but you pay at least half the cost of their living arrangements.
If you receive financial assistance toward your household expenses from a parent or other individual, you can still qualify to file as Head of Household as long as you are paying for more than 50 percent of the bills with your own earnings, savings, or capital.
See this tax tips article for more information.
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