To qualify for head of household filing status, do I have to claim my child as a dependent?
Generally, to qualify for head of household, you must have a qualifying child or dependent. However, a custodial parent may be able to claim head of household filing status with a qualifying child even if he or she released a claim to exemption for the child. See Pub 501 for more information.
To indicate this in Drake Tax, go to screen 2 (Dependents) and select the Not a Dependent - Taxpayer is a HOH qualifier check box.
Note: If no EIC should be taken for this dependent, select the Does not qualify for EIC check box.