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Glossary

Filing status

Your filing status is the category you choose on your tax return that describes your household and marital situation.

Your filing status tells the IRS whether you're single, married, head of household, or another category. It affects how much income you can earn before taxes and what credits you qualify for.

Your filing status also matters for benefits programs. Some programs use filing status to figure out what counts as household income or whether you qualify. For example, if you're married filing separately, your spouse's income may or may not count depending on the program.

Common filing statuses are:

  • Single
  • Married filing jointly
  • Married filing separately
  • Head of household
  • Qualifying widow or widower

When you apply for benefits, you may need to tell the agency your filing status. If you're unsure which one applies to you, the IRS has a tool to help you choose.

Programs where this matters

Child Tax CreditInternal Revenue ServiceThe Child Tax Credit is a federal tax credit that may lower the tax you owe if you are raising qualifying children.EITCInternal Revenue ServiceThe EITC is a federal tax credit for people who work and have low to moderate income. It may lower your tax and add to your refund.IRS RefundInternal Revenue ServiceWhere's My Refund? is the IRS online tool for checking the status of your federal income tax refund.MedicaidCenters for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesMedicaid is free or low-cost health coverage run by each state with federal funding, for children, adults, pregnant people, older adults and people with disabilities.SNAPUSDA Food and Nutrition ServiceSNAP gives monthly benefits on an EBT card to help households with low income buy food.WICUSDA Food and Nutrition ServiceWIC gives healthy foods, nutrition education and breastfeeding support to pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children with low income.CHIPCenters for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCHIP gives low-cost health coverage to uninsured children in families that earn too much for Medicaid.TANFHHS Administration for Children and FamiliesTANF gives cash help and support services to families with children who have low income. Each state runs its own program.