You have a different filing status (taxpayer type) depending on your living situation. Your filing status helps determine your eligibility for certain credits and deductions and how much those deductions are worth, how you should submit tax information to the government, and how much you need to pay in income taxes. There are five main filing statuses, each generally designating a different level of financial dependence or independence.

“Single” is basically the square one of filing statuses: it means you’re only responsible for yourself.

If you’re married, you and your spouse can choose either the “married filing jointly” or “married filing separately” statuses. If you file separately, you’re basically treated as two “single” individuals, while joint tax returns make the two of you more like one entity.

If you file as “head of household,” it means that you have at least one dependent. A dependent is someone who has someone else (you, in this case) provide at least half of his or her income. Children and elderly or retired parents are the most common dependents, but you can claim anyone who fits this description as your dependent. When you file as head of household, you’re saying that you’re responsible for supporting at least one other person, so in return you have to pay less in taxes yourself. Lastly, you can file as qualifying widow/widower with dependent child; this status also decreases your taxes because you have a dependent to support and you’ve lost a source of income with the death of your spouse.

Tags: filing status, tax returns, taxes