We've been living together for two years. we rent a house. She makes about $13,000 a year, and I make a little more. Can I put 2 dependents, myself and her, if she puts 0 dependents. Also can one of us file for head of household
2007-03-02 07:41:32 · 8 answers · asked by ? 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Taxes ➔ United States
We've been living together for two years. we rent a house. She makes about $13,000 a year, and I make a little more. Can I put 2 dependents, myself and her, if she puts 0 dependents. Also can one of us file for head of household. Or can she claim herself, and i claim myself?? so we would both claim 1
2007-03-02 07:49:39 · update #1
I presume you are asking about claiming your girlfriend on your Federal Income Tax Return. I'm pretty sure that there is no way to claim someone as a dependent unless they are a minor (under 18) for which you have custodial responsibility. In limited cases you might be able to claim someone over 18 as a dependent, but this would be limited to situations where that person has a serious medical condition that requires custodial care. Since your girlfriend was able to earn substantial income I doubt that she is in need of custodial care.
If you were married you could file jointly, but it is not likely that joint filing would benefit you anyway (except perhaps if you are trying to qualify for Earned Income Credit) since the standard deduction is basically the same. If or your girlfriend are under 18, you should make sure that you are not claimed as a dependent on your parent or guardian's return since that would prevent you from claiming yourself.
2007-03-09 06:22:09 · answer #1 · answered by eajbuffalo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can claim anything you want on your W-4. Your tax return is an entirely different story, however.
You can't claim your g/f as a dependent. She makes far too much money. The income limit for a "qualifying relative" is $3,300 for 2006.
Neither of you can file as Head of Household if it's just the two of you living together. You are two single individuals living together. Your only legal filing status is Single.
If you were to claim 2 on your W-4 you'd just about break even at tax time. If she claimed 0 on hers, she'd get a fair refund.
2007-03-02 15:53:24 · answer #2 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, you can't claim her as a dependent on your tax return, so if you claim an extra allowance for her on your W-4, you would probably come up short at tax time.
Even if she lives with you all year, and you support her, she makes too much money for you to claim her.
Neither of you can file as head of household since neither of you has a qualifying dependent, unless you have a child living with you that you didn't mention, or one of you supports your parent and claims them as a dependent.
Since you are not married, you can't file a joint return, so each of you must put your own income on your return, and claim your own exemption.
2007-03-03 19:19:47 · answer #3 · answered by Judy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can put whatever you want on your W4, but you are responsible for the outcome. I think you mean exemptions, not dependents.
There are many factors that can affect your filing status either way. Two people can be considered a household if one person pays for more than half of the costs of the home and they do not have to be related (depending on how much he or she made) and/or the other person is under 18.
2007-03-02 16:06:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. You can't claim your girlfriend as a dependent. She would have had to have less than $3,300 in gross income for starters.
You could not file as head of household because you would have had to claim a dependent.
You can file your W-4 however you want, depending if you want more or less tax withheld. The more exemptions you claim, the less tax withheld on your behalf.
2007-03-02 15:48:57 · answer #5 · answered by tma 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
On your w-4 you can put just about anything you want. Many people change their w-4 during the year as a way to adjust their take-home pay. It takes some foresight as to your personal tax situation. The problem comes during tax time when you are not eligible to claim her as a dependent and you didn't have enough withholdings taken out. You can incur a liability (you owe) and may have some penalties attached. When dealing with Uncle Sam its best to be honest.
2007-03-02 15:54:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No - HOH, Just two single.
Allowance - put 2 (each of you, so you get more in your paycheck)
2007-03-09 16:31:28 · answer #7 · answered by Michael 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope.
2007-03-02 15:45:06 · answer #8 · answered by wizjp 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋