Help with filing taxes after mid-year name change, new baby, and possible dependent partner questions

The name change situation is actually pretty common and manageable! When you file, you'll use your current legal name and SSN on the tax return, regardless of what's on your W2s and 1099. The IRS matches documents using your Social Security Number, which stays the same despite name changes. For your W2s with different names, just report the income exactly as shown on each form. The IRS will be able to match everything through your SSN. No special forms needed specifically for the name change when filing taxes, but make sure you've already notified the Social Security Administration about your name change. For your new baby, congratulations! You'll need their Social Security Number to claim them as a dependent. You'll enter this info in the dependents section of your return. As for your partner, you may be able to claim them as a dependent if: 1) their gross income is less than $4,500 for the year, 2) you provide more than half their financial support, 3) they're not filing a joint return with someone else, and 4) they're a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or certain residents of Canada or Mexico. TurboTax should walk you through all this, but it's good you're planning ahead!

I went through a similar nightmare last year with a name change and two different W2s. I finally got everything sorted using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) - it's a document analysis tool that helped me organize all my tax documents with different names. It basically looked at all my forms, confirmed everything matched up despite the different names, and gave me a report showing how it all tracked to my SSN. The best part was it gave me step-by-step instructions on exactly how to file with the name discrepancies, which saved me tons of stress. I was afraid I'd get flagged for audit with the mismatch, but everything went through fine. It also had specific guidance for claiming new dependents which sounds like it would help with your baby situation too.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after asking about it above. Honestly, it was exactly what I needed! Uploaded my W2s with my deadname and my new legal name, and it clearly showed me how to report everything. The report specifically highlighted where I needed to enter my current legal name vs. just copying the W2 info exactly as shown. I was nervous about handling this correctly (first time filing with my correct name!) but now I feel confident. It even had a section explaining the rules for claiming my partner as a dependent with the income thresholds and everything. Definitely checking this off my pre-tax-season anxiety list lol.

If you run into any issues with the IRS about your name change or dependent situation, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to an actual IRS agent. I spent WEEKS trying to call the IRS myself about a similar situation last year and could never get through. Claimyr got me connected to an IRS rep in about 15 minutes instead of the hours I wasted on hold. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I had to verify some info about my name change because my return got flagged, and being able to actually talk to someone at the IRS resolved it immediately instead of waiting months for letters back and forth.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After being super skeptical in my comment above, my tax return got rejected because of a name/SSN mismatch (turned out my employer had a typo on my W2). I was desperate after trying to call the IRS for 3 days straight, so I tried Claimyr out of frustration. Not gonna lie, it worked exactly as advertised. I got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed my name change was properly recorded in their system and helped me understand exactly what steps to take with my employer to get the W2 corrected. Saved me weeks of stress during an already complicated tax season.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - make ABSOLUTELY SURE that your name is updated with your employer for this year's W2s if possible. I had a name change last year and my old employer refused to update my name in their system without like 5 forms and a bunch of hoops. Ended up with different names on different forms and it was a huge headache. Also for the baby, don't forget you might qualify for the Child Tax Credit which is huge! And possibly the Earned Income Credit depending on your income. Those can make a big difference in your refund.

Anyone know if it matters which tax filing status to pick with a partner who isnt a spouse? Like should OP file as Head of Household since they're supporting the partner and baby, or just Single? Seems like it would make a big difference for tax brackets.