Can I file as Head of Household while living with girlfriend and paying more than half expenses? (No children)

You can't file as Head of Household in this situation. The IRS requires you to have a "qualifying person" to claim HOH status, which would typically be a child or relative who lives with you and whom you support financially. Unfortunately, a girlfriend doesn't count as a qualifying relative for HOH purposes, even if you pay most of the expenses. As for claiming her as a dependent, you'd need to meet all tests for a "qualifying relative" - including that her gross income must be less than $4,700 (for 2025 filing) and you must provide more than half her total support for the year. Even if you meet these criteria, claiming her as a dependent would make her ineligible to claim her own exemption or receive stimulus payments directly.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! I found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out my filing status situation. I was confused about whether I could claim HOH while living with my partner and also tried to see if I could claim her as a dependent. The tool analyzed our specific situation and gave me a clear answer with actual tax code references. Saved me from making a mistake that could have triggered an audit! It can analyze all kinds of tax documents and situations - much clearer than the generic advice I kept finding online.

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it after my initial skepticism. I uploaded my documents and explained my living situation with my partner. Not only did it confirm I couldn't claim HOH status, but it also showed me some deductions I was missing out on for my home office (I'm self-employed). The detailed explanations with actual tax code references were super helpful, and I feel much more confident about my filing now. Definitely worth checking out if you're in any kind of unusual situation!

If you're struggling with tax questions and want to speak directly with the IRS for an official answer, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was trying to figure out a similar HOH situation last year and was on hold with the IRS for HOURS before giving up. With Claimyr, they actually called the IRS for me and then connected me once they reached a human agent. Saved me like 2+ hours of hold time! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Getting that definitive answer straight from the IRS gave me peace of mind that I was filing correctly, especially with all the confusing advice online about living with partners and filing status options.

I stand corrected on Claimyr. I tried it yesterday after feeling like a jerk for my dismissive comment. Was honestly shocked when I got a call back about 90 minutes later and was instantly connected to an IRS rep who answered my Head of Household questions. The agent confirmed everything that was said here - can't claim HOH with just a girlfriend, even if you pay all the bills. You need a qualifying dependent. Saved me from hours of hold music AND from filing incorrectly. Sorry for being skeptical!

Just some additional info - I'm a tax preparer and this comes up all the time. You're looking at two separate questions: 1) Head of Household - Need a qualifying person (child or relative who qualifies as your dependent) 2) Claiming girlfriend as dependent - Possible IF her income is under $4,700 for the year AND you provide more than half her support But important note: if you claim her as your dependent, she cannot claim herself on her own return, and she would be ineligible for stimulus payments. Most couples in your situation do better filing separately unless one person has very low/no income.

Has anyone considered the Married Filing Separately option? My partner and I did that last year and it worked better than trying to claim HOH or dependent status.