Me and my boyfriend are unmarried, but we have 4 kids together. Are we allowed to split the kids? I will be claiming head of household with 2 kids and their dad will be claiming single with 2 kids. We

[fanfare · Accepted solution]

since you both are a parent of all of them you can use any combination you like on your tax returns.

[rlilbox]

Thank you so much!

[TheGeezer]

Either of you tax filers may claim any dependent child that the other does not claim. Therefore, what you have described (i.e. for each of you to claim 2 of the 4 dependent children) is legal and dandy. Your dependents can not be claimed more than once, and they must be claimed by someone who actually supports them with money or other value or work.

If your boyfriend does not live at your address, he could also file as single-head-of-household for at least one child.

There is a chance that you & your boyfriend have been together long enough to have a legal common law marriage arrangement and, if so, would likely qualify you two to file married-filing-jointly if you wanted to check into that.

[fanfare]

To be common law married you must present to the world as married.

This is exactly NOT what happened in the original Post.