Tax Tip of the Week | No. 419 | You Make The Call - Head of Household

Tax Tip of the Week | Aug 9, 2017 | No. 419 | You Make The Call - Head of Household

You Make the Call is a monthly format of questions and answers our office faces on a daily basis.  We hope you will find these tips to be a quick and fun read.QUESTION: The taxpayer’s mother lives in her home and she has provided care for her for several years. Her mother's only income is from social security. The taxpayer pays over half of the living expenses for her mother, therefore she is her dependent. If her mother dies in January, can the taxpayer still claim head of household in the year of death?ANSWER: Yes, as long as the taxpayer is eligible to claim her mother as a dependent. For head of household purposes, “The taxpayer and such other person must occupy the household for the entire taxable year of the taxpayer. However, the fact that such other person is born or dies within the taxable year will not prevent the taxpayer from qualifying as a head of household if the household constitutes the principal place of abode of such other person for the remaining or preceding part of such taxable year”. There is a similar explanation for dependency purposes that states, “The fact that the dependent dies during the year shall not deprive the taxpayer of the deduction if the dependent lived in the household for the entire part of the year preceding his death.”Please note that the question and answer provided does not take into account all options or circumstances possible.  Call us if you find yourself in a similar situation.You can contact us in Dayton at 937-436-3133 and in Xenia at 937-372-3504. Or visit our website.Rick Prewitt - the guy behind TTW...until next week.