Head of Household Filing Status
Use the tool - HOHucator - below to see if you qualify for the Head of Household (HoH) filing status on your 2022 tax return. Many single taxpayers qualify for this filing status if they support a dependent child or relative .
If you have determined you can file as head of household, start your return on eFile.com and select the head of household status when you begin the tax interview. The eFile Tax App will automatically apply the higher standard deduction and help reduce your taxes as you enter your income and other tax information.
Attention : Compared to the single filing status , the head of household filing status will get you lower tax rates and a higher standard deduction . It will also help you qualify more easily for tax credits . Many singles with dependents qualify as heads of household - use this free DEPENDucator to see who you can claim on your 2022 Return. Additionally, other unmarried people and, with some exception, legally married people with dependents might qualify as head of household. Generally, to qualify to file as a head of household, you have to be unmarried and you have to support a dependent or qualifying relative . To find out the best filing status for you, calculate your refund or balance due by using our free Tax Refund Calculator 2022 .
Exceptions:
If you live apart from your spouse and meet certain requirements - even if you aren't divorced or legally separated - you might file as head of household. Should you qualify to file as head of household instead of as married filing separately, your standard deduction will be higher. Plus, your tax amount overall may be lower, and you might be able to claim the earned income credit.
Even if you were married at the end of a tax year and one spouse is a US citizen or resident and the other spouse is a nonresident alien, you can choose to treat the nonresident as a US resident. This also includes cases if one of you is a US nonresident alien at the beginning of the tax year, but a resident alien at the end of the tax year while the other other is a nonresident alien at the end of the year. If you treat your nonresident alien spouse as a US resident alien, you may be able to use head of household filing status. As head of household, you must pay more than half the cost of maintaining a household for certain dependents or relatives other than your nonresident alien spouse.
Qualifying Dependent
If you have a dependent , they might or might not also count as your qualifying person. A dependent is not always a qualifying person and you don't necessarily have to claim a qualifying person as a dependent.
If you live apart from your spouse and meet certain requirements - even if you aren't divorced or legally separated - you might file as head of household. In the case you qualify as HOH instead of as married filing separately, your standard deduction will be higher, your tax may be lower, and you may be able to claim the Earned Income Credit .
Find out how to file as head of household and see detailed requirements to file as HOH; see more details on IRS filing statuses .
Need help? Ask free tax questions !
Start Your IRS and State Tax Returns Now Already have an eFile.com account? Sign In
TurboTax® is a registered trademark of Intuit, Inc.
H&R Block® is a registered trademark of HRB Innovations, Inc.