Head of Household

[lcjacobson]

I'm due in December with my first child, and am a solo mom by choice, so will be the sole parent.  My understanding is that I will be able to file as head of household after this, but I'm unclear on how that will really change my withholdings/taxes/how I should fill out my W-4.  any insight appreciated!

[KanM361]

Congratulations Icjacobson!! You are right in updating your W4 as you will be a new parent now. For updating your W4 you will need to make changes in your filing statues from single to head of Household in step 1c of W4.  Also you will need to update step 3 to caim the new child. 

Please let me know if you need any clarification on the above or have any additional questions.

[lcjacobson]

not directly W-4 related, but is there a way I can estimate how much my withholdings/taxes will change so I can do some budgeting with that updated take home pay amount?

[Michele_H]

Hi @lcjacobson you will be able to claim head of household status as long as you have an eligible dependent, living in the household.  

You will get a larger standard deduction, which can help decrease your tax liability.  I am including a link with some handy calculators that will help you determine how to fill out your W-4 as well as seeing how filing head of household can affect your taxes.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/

All the Best 

Michele