What is the difference between filing jointly and head of household

Where is My Refund? Why eFile? The IRS Head of Household filing status is one of the most misunderstood of all the tax filing statuses. But it is important to know about this filing status , because it comes with some great tax benefits for those who qualify.

For example, this is a great filing status for single parents! That is why it is so misunderstood. Alot of folks think that you can file for this status if you are married and this is not the case.

You have to be single, or unmarried, with a dependent child or children to qualify. Head of Household is a filing status for single or unmarried taxpayers who keep up a home for a Qualifying Person.

The Head of Household filing status has some important tax advantages over the Single filing status. If you qualify as Head of Household, you will have a lower tax rate and a higher standard deduction than a Single filer.

Another tax advantage is that Heads of Household must have a higher income than Single filers before they will owe income tax. The HOHucator tool will help you determine whether or not you qualify for the Head of Household filing status.

Try it out! You can efile your tax return using the Head of Household if you meet all 3 of these Head of Household filing status requirements :. There are cases where a person is still legally married but lives separately from their spouse, who provides little or no support. Even if you are still legally married, you may be considered unmarried for the purposes of the Head of Household filing status if all of the following statements are true:.

You are still considered to have lived with your spouse in your home if you only lived apart due to temporary absences. A temporary absence includes living away from the home for the purposes of school, business, military service, medical treatment, or vacation, with the expectation of returning to the home after the absence. You can be considered unmarried single for the purpose of filing as Head of Household if your spouse was a nonresident alien anytime during the year and you do not choose to treat them as a resident alien for tax purposes.

But you are considered married if you choose to treat your spouse as a resident alien on your tax return. Your spouse cannot be a qualifying person, so you must have another qualifying person to be eligible to file as a Head of Household.

To figure out if you paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home, you must first determine the total cost. All of the following expenses should be included when determining the total cost of keeping up a home:. Once you figure the total cost, simply halve the number and compare the result to your actual expenses to see if you paid more.

Choosing your filing status is one of the first things you do when you start preparing your tax return online via eFile. The eFile app will select any forms and schedules for you based on your answers to simple tax questions. We will then apply the correct tax rates and standard deduction amount to your return.

When filing married filing jointly, both spouses report their income, tax deductions , and tax credits on the same tax return. Both parties are responsible for each other's tax liability. Therefore, if you choose to file as married filing jointly your spouse will be responsible for any tax, penalties, and interest that arises from that joint tax return, even if you reported no income on the return.

Tax Tip: However, if you do not believe you are responsible for some of your spouse's tax liability, penalties or interest, you should see if you qualify for Innocent Spouse Relief.

Furthermore, if one spouse is not responsible for the current or past debt's of the other spouse, then the spouse might be entitled to request his or her portion of the IRS tax refund back from the IRS in case the IRS has offset the tax refund to pay the spouse's debt. Thus, consider the Injured Spouse option. There are many benefits to filing with the Married Filing Joint status. Some of these are:. For more information, see the tax rates and standard deduction for Married Filing Jointly.

In most cases, it is more tax advantageous for a married couple to file a joint tax return than a married filing separate return. However, this is not always the case. Also if there are unpaid taxes or child support, a refund could be offset or reduced by the IRS, regardless of which spouse is responsible for the debt. See the Tax Tip above about the Innocent Spouse or Injured Spouse you can file with your return if you are concerned about this.

To find out the best filing status for you, calculate your refund or balance due by using the free eFile. Estimate your taxes with the Married Filing Joint filing status, then do a new calculation with the Married Filing Separate filing status.

When you prepare your Tax Return on eFile. If you are married, you and your spouse can agree to file a joint tax return. You can file a joint tax return with your spouse even if one of you had no income. You can use the Married Filing Jointly filing status if both of the following statements are true:. If one spouse is a nonresident alien or dual-status alien married to a U. If a joint return is filed, the nonresident spouse will be treated as U. Married taxpayers are not eligible to claim the head-of-household status.

You must be single or in some stage of separation. According to the IRS, you are considered unmarried if you are single, legally separated by divorce, or have lived apart from your spouse for six months or more in the calendar year. It is wise to have supporting documentation to prove your claim, should the IRS inquire for further information. If you qualify for head-of-household filing status, there are significant financial benefits in store for you.

Not only will you receive a much more favorable tax rate than you would if you were to file as a single taxpayer, but taxpayers who file as head of household can claim a much higher standard deduction when filing their taxes. Prior to filing as head of household, be sure to review the IRS guidelines carefully to avoid an audit or hard inquiry in the future.

While you may consider yourself as the head of your household, your definition and the IRS's definition may vary significantly. Most questions regarding the head of household filing status can be found online at irs. Internal Revenue Service. Accessed Nov. Income Tax. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data.

We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. Your Practice.