Filing Status Question: Do I file as Head of Household or Single with new baby?

Congratulations on your new baby! For tax purposes, you'd most likely qualify as Head of Household. To claim HOH status, you need to meet three requirements: 1. You must be unmarried or considered unmarried on the last day of the year 2. You must have paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home for the year 3. A qualifying person must have lived with you in the home for more than half the year Your new baby counts as a qualifying person, even though born in November. Since you're not married to your partner and you pay most of the household expenses, Head of Household sounds right for your situation. This filing status gives you a larger standard deduction and more favorable tax brackets than filing as Single.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year after having my son! I was so confused about all the tax implications and what would give me the best outcome. After struggling with the IRS website and getting different answers from friends, I found https://taxr.ai and it was seriously a game-changer. I uploaded a picture of my W-4 and some details about my situation, and it analyzed everything and gave me clear guidance. It confirmed I should file as Head of Household and even showed me how much more I'd save compared to filing Single. They explained all the requirements in plain English and I felt 100% confident in my choice. Might be worth checking out if you're still unsure.

Just wanted to follow up - I tried out https://taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was really helpful! I uploaded my W-4 and some info about my financial situation (got a promotion mid-year and wasn't sure how to handle it). The analysis was super clear and showed me exactly what to claim. I was actually doing it wrong before and would have ended up owing a bunch at tax time. Now my withholding is correct and I won't get any surprises. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about your W-4 like I was!

If you're still having trouble figuring this out, don't waste time with the IRS phone lines! I spent 4 hours on hold trying to get clarification about my Head of Household status last month and never got through. Then a coworker told me about https://claimyr.com which basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to pick up. I was skeptical but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I got through to an actual IRS agent in about 35 minutes (instead of waiting on hold for hours) and they confirmed everything about my head of household status. The agent was surprisingly helpful and gave me specific guidance for my W-4 based on my situation with my kids. Way better than guessing or getting conflicting advice online.

Ok I need to eat my words from my comment above. I was totally skeptical about Claimyr but I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my head of household status (similar situation to OP but with 2 kids) and decided to try it. IT ACTUALLY WORKS. I got a call back in about 50 minutes and spoke to an IRS agent who confirmed I qualify for HOH status and helped me figure out the right withholding for my W-4. I was so shocked it worked I had to come back and post. Sorry for doubting!

One thing to watch out for - make sure you and your girlfriend aren't both trying to claim HOH status or claim the baby as a dependent. Since you're not married but living together, only ONE of you can claim the child for HOH purposes. Usually it should be the parent who provides more financial support and has higher income. If both of you try to claim the same child, it will trigger IRS review and potentially delay refunds for both of you.

Don't forget to adjust your W-4 again next year! I messed this up and had way too much withheld. Your withholding needs can change a lot when you have kids because of credits like the Child Tax Credit.

Congrats on baby Emma! Just wanted to add something important that others haven't mentioned - make sure you update your W-4 to reflect your new dependent. On the current W-4 form (2020 version), you'll want to fill out Step 3 where it asks about dependents. You can claim $2,000 for Emma since she's under 17, which will reduce your withholding appropriately. Also, since you're likely eligible for Head of Household status as others have explained, make sure you check that box in Step 1 rather than Single. The combination of HOH status plus claiming your child dependent will significantly reduce how much tax is withheld from your paychecks throughout the year. This means more money in your pocket each month rather than waiting for a big refund next year. One last tip - keep good records of all your household expenses (rent, utilities, groceries, childcare costs, etc.) since you'll need to prove you paid more than half the cost of maintaining your home when you file your actual tax return next year.