Can I claim my child as dependent and file as Head of Household if my baby is on my girlfriend's Medicaid?

You can absolutely claim your child as a dependent and file as Head of Household, even if your child is on your girlfriend's Medicaid. Health insurance coverage doesn't determine who can claim a child as a dependent for tax purposes. To claim Head of Household, you need to meet these requirements: 1. Be unmarried at the end of the year 2. Pay more than half the costs of keeping up your home 3. Have a qualifying person living with you for more than half the year Since you're supporting the household financially, and your child is living with you, you meet these requirements. The fact that the child receives Medicaid through your girlfriend doesn't change this. For claiming your child as a dependent, you need to meet the following tests: relationship, residence, support, and more. It sounds like you're providing more than half of the child's support, which is a key factor.

I went through something similar last year with my partner and our kids. What really helped me was using https://taxr.ai to analyze my specific situation. I was confused about dependent claims and filing status since my partner received some government benefits for our kids. The service actually reviewed all our documentation and explained exactly how I could claim Head of Household while my partner was receiving benefits. They even identified a couple tax credits I didn't know I qualified for! Saved me from making a mistake that would have cost us about $2,000 in missed credits.

I was skeptical at first about using taxr.ai, but I went ahead and tried it after seeing the recommendation here. Totally worth it! I was in a similar situation - unmarried but living with my partner and our kid, and she was receiving some government benefits. The service confirmed I could claim HOH and my child as a dependent, even though my partner was receiving WIC and Medicaid for our child. They even showed me the exact IRS rules that applied to my situation. I ended up getting over $3,500 more on my refund than I would have if I'd just filed as Single. They also helped me document everything properly in case of an audit. Definitely cleared up my confusion about dependent claims and filing status when government benefits are involved!

If you're still having trouble getting clear answers from the IRS about your tax situation, try https://claimyr.com - it saved me HOURS of frustration. I was in a similar situation last year and had specific questions about HOH status with my non-spouse partner's child. I tried calling the IRS directly for weeks and could never get through. With Claimyr, I had a callback from an actual IRS agent in less than 2 hours! They confirmed everything about my eligibility to claim HOH and answered all my specific questions. Here's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with was super helpful and even sent me documentation confirming my filing status was correct. No more tax anxiety!

I have to eat my words and admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my HOH status with my girlfriend's kids. I had the IRS on the phone within an hour! The agent confirmed that I could claim HOH even though my girlfriend's kids were getting benefits through her. She walked me through exactly what documentation I needed to keep in case of an audit. After trying for WEEKS to get through on my own, this service actually delivered. Just got my refund last week - $4,200 more than last year because I was able to file correctly as HOH with dependents instead of just Single. That 15-minute phone call literally paid for itself many times over.

I went through this exact situation last year! Just to add another perspective - make sure you're documenting everything. Keep records of all the bills you pay, rent receipts, grocery receipts, etc. to show you're providing more than half the support for the household. Also, if your girlfriend has any income at all during the year (even a part-time job), it gets a bit more complicated in terms of who provided more support. But from what you described, you should be fine claiming HOH and your child as a dependent.

One thing no ones mentioned - dont forget to claim the child tax credit too! Its worth up to $2000 per kid and is refundable up to $1400 even if you dont owe any taxes. With your income level you should qualify for the full amount. Plus if this is your first year with a child you might also qualify for the earned income credit depending on your exact income after deductions.

Just wanted to add that you should also consider opening a dependent care FSA through your employer if they offer one! Since you mentioned daycare costs might come up, you can set aside up to $5,000 pre-tax to pay for childcare expenses. This would reduce your taxable income and save you money on both federal and state taxes. Also, if your girlfriend does go back to work at some point during the tax year, make sure you recalculate who's providing more than half the support. The IRS looks at the total support provided for the entire year, not just while she wasn't working. But based on your income level and the fact that you're covering all major expenses, you should still easily meet the support test even if she has some part-time income later. Keep all those receipts and records that others mentioned - they're super important if you ever get audited on the Head of Household status!