<prompt> Human: I need help figuring out my life situation with my partner. Its all been a source of stress over a year now and I dont know what is best anymore. Ive been trying to hide my confusion, trying to put on a happy everything is going to be ok face, and its time to figure out what is best for my family.I met this wonderful woman 9 years ago, and over the years weve fallen in love, shes moved in with me to my house which I pay mortgage on and 2 years ago we had a child. We are unmarried.She didnt have a good job. The job itself was ok but the pay was near minimum wage Florida, and she couldnt get shifts that would equate to full time work, because they employer didnt want to pay insurance if she worked over X hours. We looked at the cost of daycares around us that would be acceptable and her salary barely covered it where we would come out ahead so she quit to be a stay at home mom. Now we are living together, unmarried, a stay at home mom with a child. We arent against marriage in some ideological way, just never happened. I wanted to try and support her and our child to give him the best life I could.Im trying to find any ways I can to help our situation financially. I have a budget I track every dime. I pick up extra work here and there when I can find it. Doing everything I can do provide an excellent life for my son. I think Ive tackled a lot of the big picture budget items, the hardest was food budgeting. Now Im trying to find the oddball, small, or overlooked tax things we can do that may add up to something bigger. We are making it, but barely. If I can figure out a few more things to feel a little safer it would be an amazing way to live less stressed.This year I can claim her as a dependent along with my son, since this is the first full year she will be making no income. Is there anything else we can do to take advantage of our situation? Can she apply for any government assistance even though I am trying to pay for most of our life? If we have to give it all up to have her go back to work, we are prepared for it but it is a last resort. We only need to make it about 2.5 years until our kid is 4 years old and then he will be going to a school. And if somehow marriage will help with taxes I dont really understand how it would then we would do that as well.Searching for answers and I appreciate any guidance I can get from others much wiser. Its complicated because its not only about money anymore but quality of life for my son whom I love more than I knew I could. Thanks.  <response>: Marriage would help your tax case by raising doubling your standard deduction rather than just being able to claim her as a dependent. 