Discussion:HOH w/o claiming dependent

You also need to check the divorce custody agreement. If the mother has physical custody the father needs the 8332 from her to make the claim.

Except to the extent that § 152(e) applies, under § 152(c)(4), when more than one taxpayer claims a child as a qualifying child, the child is treated as the qualifying child of only one taxpayer for all the provisions that employ the uniform definition of a qualifying child (head of household filing status under § 2(b), the child and dependent care credit under § 21, the child tax credit under § 24, the earned income credit under § 32, the exclusion for dependent care assistance under § 129, and the dependency deduction under § 151). This rule is applied to these provisions as a group, rather on a section-by-section basis.

If § 152(e) applies, a child may be treated as the qualifying child of two taxpayers. A noncustodial parent may claim the child as a qualifying child under § 152(e) only for purposes of the child tax credit under § 24 and the dependency deduction under § 151. However, the noncustodial parent may not claim the child as a qualifying child under § 152(e) in determining head of household filing status under § 2(b), the earned income credit under § 32, the child and dependent care credit under § 21, or the exclusion from income for dependent care assistance under § 129. Only the custodial parent (or other eligible taxpayer) may claim the child as a qualifying child for those purposes.