Did not check box for filing as head of household - can I amend my tax return?

You're definitely going to want to file an amendment to correct your filing status. Head of household gives you a better tax bracket and higher standard deduction than single filing status, so you're probably leaving money on the table. File Form 1040-X to amend your return. You'll need to check the box for head of household on this form and recalculate your tax liability with the correct filing status. The difference will be refunded to you after processing. Don't worry about triggering an audit - this is a common mistake and actually shows good faith that you're trying to correct your return. The IRS won't make you repay what you've already received; they'll just send you the additional refund amount you're entitled to.

I had almost the exact same situation last year but for me it was forgetting to claim my mortgage interest deduction! After days of trying to get through to the IRS, I found this service called taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai that scans your documents and tells you exactly what you might have missed or done wrong. Saved me about $1,500 in the end because they found a couple other deductions I missed too. For your situation, they can review everything and confirm you qualify as head of household before you submit the amendment. Their system checks all the requirements against your documents to make sure everything's legit.

Ok I have to admit I was totally wrong about taxr.ai. I ended up trying them after posting that skeptical comment because I was desperate to fix my own tax mistake (claimed the wrong education credit). The service identified exactly what forms I needed to file for the amendment and calculated the additional refund I was entitled to, which was almost $1200! The document analysis flagged other potential issues too - like a missed deduction for some work expenses. The whole process took like 20 minutes and gave me a step-by-step plan for fixing everything. Way easier than I expected.

If you need to actually talk to someone at the IRS about your amendment (which can be super helpful), good luck getting through on their phone lines. I spent 3 days trying to reach them about my head of household status last month and kept getting disconnected after hours on hold. Finally used https://claimyr.com which basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to pick up. You can also check out their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c to see how it works. Saved me literally hours of waiting on hold with that awful muzak playing.

I stand corrected about Claimyr. Used it yesterday after waiting on hold with the IRS for 2+ hours the day before. Got a call back in about 40 minutes and spoke to an actual IRS agent who walked me through the amendment process. The agent confirmed exactly what forms I needed and how to document my eligibility for certain credits. She even gave me a reference number for the call so I could refer back to our conversation if there were questions about my amendment. Honestly saved me from making a costly mistake on my amendment.

Just so you know, to qualify as head of household, make sure your kids lived with you for more than half the year. Since you said they're with you full-time, you definitely qualify. Make sure to include their SSNs on the amended return and check the box that says they lived with you. Also, double check if you claimed the earned income credit and child tax credit properly. Those are worth a lot for single parents and the amounts differ based on filing status.

Don't forget that filing an amended return for head of household might also impact your eligibility for the Recovery Rebate Credit if you claimed that on your original return. Check if the amount changes based on your corrected filing status!

I went through this exact same situation two years ago! You absolutely should file Form 1040-X to amend your return - the head of household filing status will give you a much higher standard deduction ($22,200 vs $14,600 for single filers in 2024) plus more favorable tax brackets. The process is straightforward: fill out Form 1040-X, check the head of household box, and recalculate your taxes with the correct filing status. You'll likely get a nice additional refund! Just make sure you have documentation that your kids lived with you more than half the year (which sounds like a given since they're with you full-time). Don't stress about audits - this is a legitimate correction that actually shows you're being responsible about your taxes. The IRS processes thousands of these amendments every year. You won't have to pay back anything you've already received, and the additional refund usually comes within 16-20 weeks of filing the amendment.