Alan,whose wife died in 2015,filed a joint tax return for 2015.He did not remarry and continues to maintain his home in which his four dependent children live.In the preparation of his tax return for 2017,Alan should file as:

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Since Alan's wife died in 2015, he can file as a qualifying widow(er) for 2017 if he meets certain requirements. He must have a qualifying child living with him and he must have paid more than half the cost of keeping up his home for the year. As per the given information, Alan has four dependent children living with him in his home, so he meets the first requirement. Assuming he paid more than half the cost of keeping up his home for the year, his best filing status option would be to file as a qualifying widow(er).

Alan,whose Wife Died in 2015,filed a Joint Tax Return for 2015.He