Me and my girlfriend just had a kid (born 5/20/09). She is going to stop working to take care of him and I'm going to stay working. For 2009 taxes who should claim our child? We are not married, but living together and plan to raise our child together.

If you need additional information please ask.

Thank you, Jim.

Who ever has higher AGI can claim the child.
Read: Your U.S. Tax Return: Child of separated or divorced parents (http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/03/child-of-separated-or-divorced-parents.html)

Actually, you should model both of your returns to see who would benefit most by claiming the child. I suspect that your girl friend would qualify for the Earned Income Credit if she claims the child.

Thank you two for responding. What is an Earned Income Credit exactly?

Yes, AtlantaTaxExpert is correct. You should see who get maximum refund.

EIC. If your income is below a certain amount, you get refundable credit called EIC. In 2008, the EIC amount for single with one child was maximum $2917.

The income cutoff for the EIC increases from year to year. For 2008, I believe the income cutoff was $35,000.