My spouse is employed by a boarding school that provides housing. I own a home. We're separated and two children live 50/50 here or there. Can we each file as head of household?

[dacoach01]

My spouse lives in the housing provided by the school with the children 50% of the time, but does not pay rent or utilities.  The housing benefits are generally considered part of the compensation and my spouse receives less in monetary compensation as a result.

[HelenC12 · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can both use the Head of Household (HOH) filing status. if you both lived apart from one another the last six month's of 2019. 

• The requirement is: Paid more than half the cost to run your home this year(rent, mortgage, utilities, etc.). Since the housing benefit is built into his compensation, he in essence is paying 100% of his housing.

For the other requirements to claim the HOH filing status, see Can a married person claim Head of Household filing status?

After you answer all the questions about yourself and your dependents at the beginning of your return, we'll let you know if your situation qualifies for Head of Household