<prompt> Human: Hello PF. Sorry for formatting Im on mobile. Not sure if this is the right sub for this, I just lurk here and learn mainly about credit cards, I 20 recently had my girlfriend 22 and her 1 year old move in with me. We both work at the same place, although Ive been there couple months longer than her. She hasnt worked this year except for last month and this month she just came from Mexico where she lived most her life, shes a US citizen though if that mattersWell with tax season coming up my question is should I claim them both, or should we claim ourselves? And if I claim them both, would this affect her foodstamps in any ways? I make average 245 a week , she makes maybe 200 on a good week. So her foodstamps is something I would like for her to keep for the baby I do not use nor intend to use her card If this isnt the right sub, please point me in the right direction. Thanks PF.  <response>: Reasons why you cannot claim your GF If your GF earned more than 4050, you cant claim her as a dependent qualifying relative. If your GF earned less than 4050 but she didnt live with you for the entire year, you cant claim her as a dependent qualifying relative. Because your GF is not related to you in one of the ways described in the relationship test for qualifying child, you cant claim her as a dependent qualifying child.Reasons why you cannot claim your GFs child The child of a girlfriend does not meet the relationship test for qualifying child. That alone is enough to prevent you from claiming the child as qualifying child. The child also is not a qualifying relative because the child did not live with you all year, and is not related to you in one of the ways that allows somebody to be a qualifying relative even without living with you all year. Your filing status is thus Single with no dependents for 2016, unless you get married on or before Dec 31 2016. You cant use Head of Household filing status because you do not have a qualifying person in 2016. ---Next yearYou might be able to claim your GF as a qualifying relative on your 2017 taxes, if she earns under 4050. In that case, you likely could also claim the child as a qualifying relative. So you would have two dependents, but youd still have to file as Single, because neither would be a qualifying person for Head of Household purposes.If GF earns more than 4050 next year, she would probably file as Single, claim her own exemption, and claim her child as a dependent. Or possibly she could file as Head of Household, using her child as qualifying person, if she provides more than half the cost of keeping up a home. You would not be able to claim the child as a qualifying relative, because child would be the qualifying child of your GF, and a qualifying relative must not be the qualifying child of anyone else. 