Your tax preparer should have been able to answer that with no problem.

You can call the IRS Mike. They're actually very friendly, believe it or not. Anyway, just an opinion (I'm not a tax professional) but it depends on whether or not you are currently claiming her as a dependent and if she makes an income, what she files, etc. If you are getting that much back, it has to be either EIC or you make a lot of money or pay way too much. Anyway, if it's EIC then it is based on your income vs the number of dependents who rely on you for support.

There should also be free tax counseling by volunteers in your area if you call around. Usually the library has information on this service.

BTW, everyone is going to hate me for saying this....but I hope you're not thinking about marrying the mother or your children just because she's a tax deduction! :-)

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96406,00.html

sorry..type "mother of your children"   Anyway, the above link is to the IRS and they have an assistant that might help answer your question.

Mike - it's ironic that I spelled the word typo wrong. LOL

actually we are barely making ends meet.we live on my paycheck plus my tax return through the year.in fact the money from that tax return is basically life preserver as far as helping us through the year.we want to get married but economics are what feeds us at the end of the day.can't live on love because you can't eat it for dinner,lol.

i've been criticized by my family for waiting.but am i wrong for wanting to wait until the finances are stable before doing something like marriage?

Mike, sorry. I wasn't criticizing you, I was teasing, because of the way you wrote it. I mean, if you asked "if we have another baby, will he be another tax deduction" I would have had the same reaction. It's your business. 11 years is a long time. Only you know what's right. Call around and see if there are volunteers in your neighborhood who prepare taxes. As I wrote before, if you are head of household, you probably have 4 deductions (you, your girlfriend, your 2 children) but I have no idea if she works, if she is disabled, etc., and these conditions might determine whether or not you can claim her as a dependent. Even someone here who knows this stuff would need more information from you. I don't know if you have one in your area, but call VITA (volunteer income tax assistance) which is an IRS volunteer program for lower income families. 1-800-829-1040.

thanks justx i'm gonna call and see what they have to say.

Actually, after I typed it, I realized the "1040" is just the toll free IRS number. They'll connect you to the right department.   Stay away from frauds who say they worked for the IRS, blah, blah.   This is the site for Tennessee.

http://www.tnafi.org/

This is for Memphis - it tells you how to get free tax preparation.

http://www.memphislibrary.org/linc/211.htm