Separated from spouse - HOH or MFJ filing status for taxes?

Thanks for this answer! Just to clarify - if her husband lived with her for part of the year (sounds like almost 6 months), does she still qualify for HOH for the full year? Or would she need to file as married filing jointly for the tax year?

You raise a good point about partial year qualification. For HOH status, she needs to be "considered unmarried" which requires living apart from her spouse for the last 6 months of the year (not just any 6-month period). If they separated after the baby was born and have been apart for 6+ months, and if this separation includes the last 6 months of the tax year, then she can file as HOH. If they were together during any part of the last 6 months of the year, she would need to file as either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately, depending on whether they choose to file together.

Does taxr.ai actually look at both tax AND benefits eligibility? Like would it have caught the SNAP issue the OP is worried about?

I'm kinda skeptical about these online tools. How accurate is it really? Like did it have you answer a bunch of questions or did it actually look at your real documents?

It doesn't specifically analyze benefit eligibility like SNAP, but it does look at the tax implications of your whole situation. It focuses on the actual IRS requirements for filing status rather than other government programs. The tool analyzes actual documents you upload, not just questionnaires. I uploaded my divorce decree, property documents, and information about my dependents. It used those real documents to apply the actual tax code to my specific circumstances. Much more reliable than just clicking through generic questions on a tax website.

How does this callback thing actually work? Seems weird that you can somehow get ahead in the IRS queue.

Yeah right. No way this actually works. The IRS is literally unreachable during tax season. If there was a way to skip the line everyone would be doing it.

It works by navigating the IRS phone system for you and holding your place in line. When an agent is available, you get a call back. It's not really "skipping" the line - you're still in the same queue, but you don't have to personally sit on hold for hours. The service basically waits on hold for you instead of you having to do it yourself. They use technology to monitor the hold line and then call you when a human agent is about to pick up. Totally changed my experience with getting tax questions answered.

Thank you so much for this additional perspective! If I file as HOH and then reconcile with my husband later this year, would that create any issues with either my taxes or benefits?

Your filing status is determined by your situation on December 31st of the tax year. If you reconcile later this year, that would affect next year's tax filing, not the current one. For benefits, you should update your SNAP case whenever your household situation changes. There's usually a requirement to report changes within a certain timeframe (often 10 days). Failing to update your household composition can potentially result in an overpayment that you might have to pay back. The specifics vary by state, so I'd recommend checking with your caseworker about your local reporting requirements.

The 6 month rule is so important! I messed this up one year and got a letter from the IRS later asking for proof. Had to refile and pay penalties because I misunderstood the timing requirement.

Exactly! And the burden of proof is on the taxpayer. I always recommend people keep documentation of separate residences (lease agreements, utility bills, etc) for at least 3 years after filing. The IRS can come back and question your filing status, and without proof, you could face not just having to pay the difference but penalties and interest too.