Head of Household confusion

[xmasbaby0]

@mb123 Not sure what you have been dong for those past years, but if your grandchild was your only qualifying dependent to file as HOH then she had to be your dependent--not your daughter's dependent.

Am I Head of Household?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894553-do-i-qualify-for-head-of-household

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2900097-what-is-a-qualifying-person-for-head-of-household

If you qualify as Head of Household, when you enter your filing status (single or married filing separately) into MyInfo, and then enter your qualifying dependent, TurboTax will offer HOH as your filing status.

[mb123]

my daughter files single w/ grand as dependent    not HOH

[macuser_22]

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@mb123 wrote:

my daughter files single w/ grand as dependent    not HOH

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Exactly, so shat cannot also be your qualifying child.    You are misinterpreting the IRS rules that say who can be a qualifying person for HOH is your qualifying child such as a grandchild.

"Qualifying person" and "Qualifying Child" are two totally different things.   To be a qualifying child that child *must* be your dependent, only then can that qualifying child be a "qualifying person" for HOH.

IRS rules can be very confusing which is why people use tax software that follows the rules and as you found out, TurboTax will not allow that which is correct.  The child is already the mothers qualifying child and cannot be yours also.

[mb123]

I meet all the reqs for home

qualifying child doesn't have to be my dependent 

[mb123]

A qualifying child would be:

• Your child (including legally adopted), stepchild, foster child, sibling, half-sibling, step-sibling, or a descendant of any of them (for example, your grandchild or niece) AND
• Permanently and totally disabled OR under the age of 19 as of December 31, 2019 (under 24 if a full-time student) and younger than you (or your spouse, if filing jointly) AND
• Lived with you for more than half the year AND
• Single (or if the child is married, you'd have to qualify to claim them as a dependent even if you're not going to claim them as such).

all this applies   single grand daughter, under 19 -  lived with me

[macuser_22]

A child that is not your dependent cannot be a qualifying child.

IRS Pub 17

Qualifying Child of More Than One Person

Sometimes, a child meets the relationship, age, residency, support, and joint return tests to be a qualifying child of more than one person. Although the child is a qualifying child of each of these persons, only one person can actually treat the child as a qualifying child to take all of the following tax benefits (provided the person is eligible for each benefit).

1. The child tax credit or credit for other dependents.

2. Head of household filing status.

3. The credit for child and dependent care expenses.

4. The exclusion from income for dependent care benefits.

5. The earned income credit.

[Bsch4477]

If grand is daughter’s dependent grand cannot also be your qualifying person for HOH. See Pub 17.