Taxes: Filing as Head of Household on 1040

[NaNaNaNaBooBoo 0]

Where on the 1040 does the spouses ssn and name go if you are filing Head of Household status? On the 1040 the part where it says spouse specifically states "if a joint return" spouses first name and initial. Do we put it under Dependants along with our daughters name and SSN? Do we need to include his foreign income if it has no connection to the US, we do not have a statement of income from his country as he was always paid in cash (he was a refugee)?

[tom&tata 2]

You need to file as Married & Jointly. Then you will list the dependent (children).

[NaNaNaNaBooBoo 0]

I saw the post below and thought it was quite helpful. It provides information on the option of filing as Head of Household. For our tax situation, it actually comes out $175 better for us to file as HOH instead of married filing jointly because of dependant benefit credits, etc.. The downfall is that I cannot find out if the spouse is still considered a spouse, or treated as a dependent. Has anyone filed as HOH before?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=109

[NaNaNaNaBooBoo 0]

OK I just read on the IRS website that the rebate/stimulus package that if you want to get a rebate check for a married couple, you must file married filing jointly. So there goes my HOH idea.

BIG NOTE: According to the IRS link below If you do not use an SSN number on your tax return (ie. ITIN number, etc.) you are NOT eligible for the rebate check!!!!

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=179095,00.html

[lucyrich 20]

I saw the post below and thought it was quite helpful. It provides information on the option of filing as Head of Household. For our tax situation, it actually comes out $175 better for us to file as HOH instead of married filing jointly because of dependant benefit credits, etc.. The downfall is that I cannot find out if the spouse is still considered a spouse, or treated as a dependent. Has anyone filed as HOH before?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=109

See IRS Publication 501, especially the area around pages 6 & 7.

If you file HoH, your return is completely separate from your spouse's. Your spouse is NEVER your dependent (see page 9 of pub 501, under the heading "your spouse's exemption"). If you file HoH, your spouse is not a qualifying dependent for HoH purposes. You must have another qualifying relative living with you to meet the HoH requirements.

Your spouse would be on his own for filing. He might not even file a return, if his income was below the filing guidelines. If he did file a return, it would probably use status "married filing separately".

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

Also, for later on removing of conditions, its best to have your taxes filed together, and have more proof of togetherness. You dont want USCIS wondering why you guys lived together but filed separately.

[mawilson 2,133]

Also, for later on removing of conditions, its best to have your taxes filed together, and have more proof of togetherness. You dont want USCIS wondering why you guys lived together but filed separately.

Well......it's all good and well in theory, but if filing separately saves you $10,000, the USCIS can go jump.

[simple_male 1]

Also, for later on removing of conditions, its best to have your taxes filed together, and have more proof of togetherness. You dont want USCIS wondering why you guys lived together but filed separately.

Yes. That is a good point.

[Donna A 4]

i thought a single parent could only claim head of household?

[diadromous mermaid 36]

i thought a single parent could only claim head of household?

Head of Household requires that an individual keep up a home for a qualifying individual. Doesn't have to be a child.

[Silver 0]

Information taken from the IRS website FAQ:

Generally, your marital status on the last day of the year determines your status for the entire year.

If you are unmarried, or if you are legally separated from your spouse under a divorce or separate maintenance decree according to your state law, and you do not qualify for another filing status, your filing status is single.

Generally, to qualify for head of household status, you must be unmarried and you must have paid more than half the cost of maintaining as your home a household that was the main home for a qualifying person for more than half the year. You may also qualify for head of household status if you, though married, file a separate return, your spouse was not a member of your household during the last six months of the tax year, and you provided more than half the cost of maintaining as your home a household that was the main home for more than one half of your tax year of a qualifying person.

If you are married, you and your spouse may file a joint return or separate returns. If your spouse died and you did not remarry in the year that your spouse died, you may still file a joint return for that year. This is the last year for which you may file a joint return with that spouse.

You may be able to file as a qualifying widow or widower for the two years following the year your spouse died. To do this, you must meet all four of the following tests:

You were entitled to file a joint return with your spouse for the year he or she died. It does not matter whether you actually filed a joint return,

You did not remarry in the two years following the year your spouse died,

You have a child, stepchild, or adopted child (a foster child does not meet this requirement) for whom you can claim a dependency exemption, and

You paid more than half the cost of maintaining a household that was the main home for you and that child, for the whole year.

After the two years following the year in which your spouse died, you may qualify for head of household status.

More detailed information on each filing status can be found in Publication 501, Exemptions, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information.

The stimulus rebate will be only paid for anyone on the 1040 that has a SSN - spouse/dependents with ITIN will not be eligible.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

You don't have to include your spouse's income unless you want to from the time before he entered the country. Our case was an odd one, but it actually was to our advantage to add my husband's foreign income. Basically the IRS told me that they generally have no way or time to track down foreign employers in over a hundred countries and verify everything. They tend only to bother if your foreign income is very significant. They just told me that generally they trust you not to lie about it. A handwritten W-2 works with a currency conversion and a short explanation of what you intend to do with the wages for taxation purposes.

The thing in our situation was that we could not exclude my husband's income using form 2555 or 2555EZ. If we had done that, we would not have been eligible for the EITC. However, as it was, last year was not the greatest year, so we had almost no tax liability anyway. Just something to keep in mind if you do decide it might be to your advantage to include foreign income and you would otherwise qualify for the EITC.

[bettenan 1]

OK I just read on the IRS website that the rebate/stimulus package that if you want to get a rebate check for a married couple, you must file married filing jointly. So there goes my HOH idea.

BIG NOTE: According to the IRS link below If you do not use an SSN number on your tax return (ie. ITIN number, etc.) you are NOT eligible for the rebate check!!!!

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=179095,00.html

Someone just sent me an email with the details of the "Economic Stimulus Package" and I got the part where you got no rebate if either filer had used an ITIN and could not believe it. When Richard first arrived, we had to file using an ITIN and fortunately now he has an SSN or I'd be seriously pissed off...what kind of ####### is that (oh ok I'm still pissed off but not as much as we we not getting our rebate ) I'd be interested in knowing the rational behind that