another tax question.?

Question

i was told i could not use just a p.o. box to claim head of household, that i also had to give a physical address as well as the p.o. box. is this true and if so can you tell me why?

Answer 1

The reason is because you and your family don't live inside the PO Box.

To qualify for head of household, you have to be:

1) Single (unmarried, legally divorced, widowed for more than a year or an abandoned spouse)

2) You have to pay more than half the cost of maintaining a home where a qualifying child or relative lives.

Putting an address on your return offers proof of where that dependant lives.

Answer 2

Using a P.O. box does not have any impact on your return or your filing status. The use of a P.O. box is OK for most purposes with the IRS. However, if they were to send you a registered letter they will need a physical address because registered mail can't go to a P.O. box.

Answer 3

I agree with the above poster that using a PO box has no impact on filing status. My mother files head of household and has been doing so for quite some time using a PO Box and has never had a problem.