I have to be missing something. 1040 Instructions, page 62 has a worksheet for computing Line 70's Recovery Rebate Credit. Question 3 on this pages asks, "Are you filing a joint return for 2008?" If no, it says you cannot take the credit and so stop.
What does "joint return" mean here? I thought it meant filing status MFJ. Yet subsequent questions and common sense suggest that single parents certainly may be eligible for the credit.