Cleo's husband died in January of 2016. She has a 20 year-old son and a sister who live with her. Her son attends a trade school part-time and earned $11,000 from his part-time job. Cleo's sister is a full-time student and only earned $2,800 from her part-time job. What is Cleo's 2018 filing status?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cleo can file as head of household since she has a dependent (her son) who lived with her for more than half the year, and she provided more than half the cost of keeping up the home. As her husband passed away in 2016, she cannot file as a surviving spouse. Since her husband passed away in 2016, she cannot file as married filing jointly or married filing separately. She also cannot file as single since she has a dependent living with her.

Cleo's Husband Died in January of 2016