Tax help

[rlangis]

My girlfriend and I live together. She owns the home but we split everything. We also just had child. Both of us work FT and make good money. How do we do our taxes? Who claims the child? I assume she claims the house interest since it is in her name? We don't file married obviously so who is HOH? I just don't know if I do my own, claim the child or does she file alone and claim everything? 

[xmasbaby0]

@rlangis 

"She owns the home but we split everything."

Is GF the only one whose name is on the deed and mortgage?  If so, then she enters the house information on her tax return.  

If the two of you are not legally married --- the child's information can only be entered on ONE tax return.  There is no "sharing" of the child-related credits if you are all together.  That form 8332 you may have seen something about is for divorced or never married parents who live apart and share custody.

So....one of you claims the child.  The other files Single and does not enter anything at all about the child on their tax return.

It takes a qualified dependent to file as HOH, so the person who is claiming the child can file HOH.

[Texas Roger]

The one filing as head of household must be the one who paid more than half the household costs for the year and claims the child as a dependent on their tax return. 

[rlangis]

Think you

 so she would claim the house interest etc and I would claim the child?

we both make roughly the same.

[rlangis]

Ok thank you

 so she would claim the house and I’d claim the child?

[xmasbaby0]

You could do that....it would be okay.... if you pay over half the amount of supporting the household, then it is ok for you to file HOH and claim the child.  The child just cannot be put on both tax returns.  Only one.

[TomD8]

Only the homeowner may deduct the mortgage interest and property taxes.   The parent with the higher adjusted gross income should claim the child (this will produce the greatest tax savings).  The parent who provided more than half the cost of maintaining the household may file as HOH.  The other parent must file as Single.

[Texas Roger]

The first requirement for filing as Head of Household is that you paid for more than half of the cost involved in maintaining a qualifying household during the tax year. This means that you paid more than half of the total household bills, including rent or mortgage, utility bills, insurance, property taxes, groceries, repairs and other common household expenses. In the case of a parent, your parent doesn’t need to live with you, but you pay at least half the cost of their living arrangements. Whoever meets this requirement (and others) can claim the child as their dependent and file as head of household.