My husband and I lived apart for 5 years. He's lives in El Paso, TX and I in Dallas. He take care of the Kids and I send money to help out. How do I file my taxes?

[Coleen3 · Accepted solution]

You have the option of Married Filing Separately or Married Filing Jointly. He has the option of Head of Household if he qualifies, Married Filing Separately or Married Filing Jointly. The tests for HOH are below.

You may be able to file as head of household if you meet all the following requirements.

1. You are unmarried or considered unmarried on the last day of the year. See Marital Status , earlier, and Considered Unmarried , later.
2. You paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home for the year.
3. A qualifying person lived with you in the home for more than half the year (except for temporary absences, such as school). However, if the qualifying person is your dependent parent, he or she doesn't have to live with you. See Special rule for parent , later, under Qualifying Person.