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HOH vs Single Filing Status - Same Refund Amount? Need Help Understanding Difference

I just ran my numbers twice using single and head of household filing status but got the exact same refund amount both times. Isnt HOH supposed to give you more money back? Pretty confused about why theres no difference in my refund estimation.

Jade Lopez

Tax pro here. HOH status typically does give you better tax benefits, including a higher standard deduction ($20,800 vs $13,850 for single in 2024) and more favorable tax brackets. If you're getting the same amount, double check if you actually qualify for HOH - you need a qualifying dependent and to pay more than half of household expenses. Also check if you entered all info correctly in both scenarios.

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Arjun Patel

Oh that makes sense! I forgot about the qualifying dependent part 🤦‍♀️ Just me and my cat here lol

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2M

Jade Lopez

Yep, unfortunately the IRS doesn't count fur babies as dependents 😺 You'll need to file as single.

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Tony Brooks

Hey instead of guessing, you should try taxr.ai - it analyzes your transcript and tells you exactly what filing status you qualify for and what credits/deductions you can claim. Its only $4.99 and totally worth it. https://taxr.ai

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Ella rollingthunder87

Does it really work? Seems too good to be true

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Tony Brooks

100% legit! It caught that I could claim EIC when I thought I wasn't eligible. Saved me hours of research

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Yara Campbell

Just tried it - super helpful! The AI explained everything in plain english and showed me which docs I needed 💯

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Isaac Wright

in the same boat rn trying to figure out if i can file hoh. this tax stuff is so confusing fr 😫

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Maya Diaz

Had this same issue last year. Turns out I was entering my W2 wrong which was messing up the calculations. Maybe double check your inputs?

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Arjun Patel

gonna go back and check everything again thanks!

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Tami Morgan

The tax system is literally designed to be confusing on purpose i stg 🤡

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Rami Samuels

facts! they want us to mess up so they can charge penalties 🙄

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Haley Bennett

What software are you using? Some free ones dont do a good job explaining the requirements tbh

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