Hello,

I am a recent NJ resident living in an apartment but am not listed on the lease. I own a house in NY but that will no longer be my primary residence. My mom will continue living there and I am listed as head of household and both our names are on the deed. She is retired and no longer files taxes and I have been the only one to do so.

My question is how will this affect my taxes now that I am living in NJ? Will me being listed as head of household cause any issues? Is there anything else I need to know about before I change over my license and residency?

Also, I work in NJ.

Thanks,

Doug

Doug:

You CAN claim your parent as a dependent if you provide over half of her support, even if she does NOT live with you.

However, to claim HoH, she MUST live with you.

The effect of your move is that you will file SINGLE instead of HoH when you file your return.

To continue to claim HoH while living in a separate location is tax fraud, pure and simple.

Thank you for the quick and informative reply. A couple things I am unsure of, will I still need to do taxes in NY? Will my mom now have to be HoH and begin filing taxes again? Thanks again,

Doug

Doug:

Your mother does not have to file taxes if her taxable income falls below a certain level.

She cannot file HoH because there is NO qualifying person living with her.

If you no longer live in NY, you will need to file a part-year tax return for NY for 2007, then NOTHING after that.