Head of Household Filing Status Help! Don't want to mess up dependent income question
So I'm struggling to fill out my tax return and really nervous about messing up my filing status. I'm planning to use Head of Household since I'm single and taking care of my daughter (she's 9). On the form where it asks about my dependent's income, I think I'm supposed to put $0 since she doesn't work or have any income, but I'm paranoid about doing this wrong. The IRS terrifies me and I know they don't play around with incorrect information. Anyone have experience with this? Just want to make sure I'm getting this right before I submit!
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Dmitry Volkov
You're absolutely right to double-check this. For your 9-year-old daughter who doesn't have income, you should put $0 in the dependent income field. The IRS asks this question because some dependents do have income from jobs, investments, etc., but for young children without income, zero is the correct entry. Head of Household status is great for your situation - it gives you a better tax bracket than filing Single. Just make sure you meet the requirements: unmarried at end of year (or living apart from spouse for last 6 months), paid more than half the cost of keeping up your home, and have a qualifying dependent living with you for more than half the year. Don't worry too much - the dependent income field is straightforward. Just answer honestly and you'll be fine!
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StarSeeker
•So if my kid made like $600 last summer mowing lawns, do I need to put that? He's 15 and I'm also filing Head of Household. Also does he need to file his own return?
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Dmitry Volkov
•For your 15-year-old who earned $600 mowing lawns, yes, you should report that $600 as your dependent's income on your tax return when listing him as a dependent. He doesn't need to file his own tax return since his income is below the filing threshold (which is $12,950 for 2024 tax year). Self-employment filing requirements kick in at $400, but for a teenager with occasional lawn mowing, the IRS generally considers this to be more like allowance or pocket money rather than actual self-employment if it's irregular and small scale.
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Ava Martinez
I went through the exact same panic last year with my first time filing as Head of Household for my son! I was so confused about all the dependent income questions and deathly afraid of an audit. I actually found this service called https://taxr.ai that helped me understand exactly what I needed to put where. They analyzed my tax situation and confirmed that I should indeed put $0 for my son who has no income. It actually walks you through all the Head of Household requirements too, so you know for sure if you qualify.
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Miguel Ortiz
•Does this actually work? I keep seeing people mention it and I'm curious. I'm a single dad with 2 kids and this is my first year filing as head of household. Can it help with figuring out all the child tax credits too?
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Zainab Omar
•I'm skeptical of these tax tools... can't you just ask the questions directly on turbotax or whatever? why do you need another service to tell you to put $0?
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Ava Martinez
•Yes, it absolutely works for figuring out head of household requirements and dependent questions. The benefit is that it's conversational - you explain your specific situation and it helps identify what applies to you. It answered all my questions about custody arrangements and dependent requirements that were confusing me. The difference from just using TurboTax is that it explains WHY you qualify for certain things and gives you confidence in your choices. For example, it helped me understand exactly which child tax credits I qualified for based on my custody agreement, which TurboTax's generic questions weren't clear about. It's basically like having a tax pro walk you through everything without paying hundreds for a consultation.
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Miguel Ortiz
Decided to try https://taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow - just wanted to say thanks for the recommendation! It immediately cleared up my Head of Household confusion. I was overthinking the dependent income thing (my kids don't have income either). But more importantly, it helped me realize I qualified for the earned income credit which I would have completely missed! Ended up getting about $1,200 more on my refund than I expected. Super helpful for single parents!
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Connor Murphy
I had major issues with this EXACT question last year. Put $0 for my kids (which was correct) but then had questions about other parts of my Head of Household filing and couldn't get through to the IRS for weeks. Ended up using https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in like 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - seriously saved my sanity during tax season.
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Yara Sayegh
•Wait, this is actually a thing? How does it work? I've literally spent hours trying to call the IRS before.
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Zainab Omar
•Yeah right. Nobody gets through to the IRS that fast. I'll believe it when I see it. Probably just forwards you to the same hold line everyone else is in.
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Connor Murphy
•It uses a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is about to pick up. It's not magic - you're still in the same queue as everyone else, but you don't have to personally sit on hold for hours. It worked perfectly for me - I put my number in, went about my day, and got a call back about 2 hours later when they had an actual IRS agent ready. I was able to confirm all my Head of Household questions directly with them. Totally worth it during the chaos of tax season when you just need one simple answer.
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Zainab Omar
I have to apologize to Profile 9 - I was the skeptic about Claimyr and decided to try it yesterday because I was desperate about a Head of Household question similar to the original post. It actually worked exactly as described. Put my number in, went to the gym, and got a call that an agent was ready about 3 hours later. Asked my question about dependent income reporting (I have a kid with disability benefits) and got a clear answer directly from the IRS. Saved me from hours of hold music and stress!
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NebulaNova
Quick tip from a single mom who's been filing Head of Household for years - keep really good records of everything related to supporting your household. The IRS occasionally asks for proof that you provided more than half the cost of maintaining the home. I keep a folder with utility bills, rent/mortgage, groceries, etc. Just in case. And yes, $0 is correct for a child with no income.
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Keisha Williams
•What counts as "maintaining the home" exactly? I pay all the rent and utilities, but my ex buys most of the groceries and clothes for our son. Can I still claim Head of Household?
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NebulaNova
•Maintaining the home specifically refers to expenses like rent/mortgage, property taxes, utilities, repairs, and groceries. The IRS looks at the overall cost of running the household - not specifically child-related expenses like clothing or education. If you pay all the rent/mortgage and utilities, that's typically the largest portion of household expenses, so you're probably still providing more than half the cost of maintaining the home even if your ex buys groceries and clothes. Just add up all your household costs for the year and make sure your portion exceeds 50%. Keep those records handy in case the IRS ever has questions.
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Paolo Conti
I've been doing my taxes with head of household status for like 8 years. Just put $0 if your kid doesn't have income. Super simple. But don't mess up the other parts... I got audited in 2022 because my ex and I BOTH claimed head of household for the same kid. Total nightmare!! Make sure ur the only one claiming your dependent!!
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Amina Diallo
•Yikes! How did the audit turn out? I'm worried bc my ex and I alternate years claiming our daughter but I'm not sure if she knows that means only one of us gets Head of Household.
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