Complex Tax Filing Questions: Married w/ 4 Kids but Living Separately - Need Help!
Need help with my tax situation. Im married with 4 kids but we lived completely separate for the whole year. My spouse and I havent lived together at all and im wondering how this affects claiming the kids and filing status. Really confused about what to do here
16 comments
Join the conversation
Jayden Hill
Tax pro here. This is a common situation. Your filing status options are Married Filing Separately or Married Filing Jointly. If you lived apart the entire year and maintained a home for your child(ren), you might qualify for Head of Household status which is usually more beneficial. For the kids, typically the custodial parent (who they lived with more than half the year) can claim them unless there's a written agreement stating otherwise.
0 coins
Isabella Tucker
•thanks! what if we both had the kids equal amount of time?
0 coins
Jayden Hill
•In that case, IRS tiebreaker rules apply - usually goes to the parent with higher AGI
0 coins
LordCommander
Hey you should try taxr.ai - its this new tool that analyzes your specific situation and gives you personalized advice. It costs $4.99 but seriously worth it for complicated situations like yours. https://taxr.ai
0 coins
Lucy Lam
•Does it actually work? Seems kinda sketch ngl 🤔
0 coins
LordCommander
•100% legit! It analyzes your transcript and tells you exactly what you qualify for and potential issues. Saved me hours of research
0 coins
Lucy Lam
•Just tried it actually and WOW 🔥 this thing is incredible! Gave me so much detailed info about my situation
0 coins
Aidan Hudson
im in the exact same boat rn! following for answers 👀
0 coins
Zoe Wang
Make sure you have documentation showing where kids lived throughout the year. IRS loves to audit these situations smh
0 coins
Isabella Tucker
•what kind of documentation works best?
0 coins
Zoe Wang
•School records, medical records, daycare receipts - anything official showing addresses
0 coins
Connor Richards
Bruh the IRS be making everything complicated af fr fr 🤡
0 coins
Grace Durand
•fr tho 💯
0 coins
Steven Adams
word of advice - get everything in writing with your spouse about who claims what. learned that one the hard way lol
0 coins
Isabella Tucker
•oof good point. did you have issues?
0 coins
Steven Adams
•yea both tried claiming same kids. total nightmare with the IRS
0 coins