Question

Kyle, whose wife died in October, 2015, filed a joint tax return for 2015. He did not remarry, but has continued to maintain his home in which both he and his dependent father live. In the preparation of his tax return for 2017, what is Kyle's filing status?

Answer 1

Kyle likely qualifies for the Head of Household filing status for his 2017 tax return because he maintains his home with his dependent father. He no longer qualifies for the Qualifying Widow(er) status because more than two years have passed since his spouse's death.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to the tax return filing status of a taxpayer named Kyle for the year 2017. Based on the information provided, because Kyle's spouse passed away in 2015 and he did not remarry, but maintained a home with his dependent father living with him, he may qualify for the Qualifying Widow(er) status for his 2017 tax return, assuming he meets the other IRS requirements for this status. This status is available to him for two years following the year of his spouse's death.

However, since the tax filing for 2017 would be more than two years after his spouse's death, Kyle would not qualify for the Qualifying Widow(er) status. Instead, if he is providing more than half the cost of keeping up a home and has a dependent living with him, he is likely to use the Head of Household status, which provides for a better tax rate than filing as Single.