We don’t recommend this but, in that case, you should definitely file your taxes.Ģ. Your spouse may play “catch me if you can” with the IRS and not pay their taxes. But there are some circumstances in which this is the case, like these: It’s rare that filing separately will mean more money for you. Use one that’s on your side-Ramsey SmartTax. Whichever filing status puts more money in your pocket (or takes less money out of it), that’s the filing status we recommend.ĭon’t settle for tax software with hidden fees or agendas. Married filing separately is a filing status for married couples who, for whatever reason, decide, “Meh, we don’t want to do our taxes together.” As a married couple, you should merge your finances, but there may be a tax nuance or two that could cause you to consider filing a separate return.īasically, our rule of thumb is this: File separately when it saves you money. Married Filing SeparatelyĪs we said before, the IRS doesn’t force you to file jointly. After that, you have to file as a qualifying widow or widower, head of household or single filer. If your spouse passed away during the past tax year, you can file jointly for that year. But make sure you take care of the name change by next year. Now, if you don’t have time to change your name before the tax deadline, you can file using your maiden name. Fill out Form SS-5 and file it at your local Social Security office. If you don’t, the IRS will hold your tax refund until you resolve the issue. If you moved, be sure to notify the IRS of your address change by filing Form 8822.ĭon’t forget to let your employer know of any changes to your name and/or address so your W-2 arrives on time and in good order.ĭid you take your spouse’s last name? Well, make sure you tell the Social Security Administration so the name next to your Social Security number matches the name on your tax forms. If this is your first tax season as husband and wife, you’ll need to take care of a couple of things first.ġ. The biggest difference is that you’ll choose married filing jointly as your filing status instead of the others.īut if this is your first tax season as husband and wife, you’ll need to take care of a couple of things first: You and your spouse still have to report your income and list deductions and credits. ![]() But if you got married on or after January 1 of this year, you must file separately this tax season.įiling your taxes jointly isn’t that different from filing as single or head of household. So if you got married on December 31 of last year or earlier, you can file together. You need to have been married before January 1 of this year to file last year’s taxes jointly. If you just got married, congrats! But you may not be able to file jointly just yet. We’ll talk more about those situations below. But it’s rare (like four-leaf clover rare) to find yourself in a situation in which filing separately is better than jointly. Now, don’t get us wrong: You don’t have to file jointly. Married filing jointly (or MFJ for short) means you and your spouse fill out one tax return together. But what does married filing jointly mean? And how is it different than married filing separately? Let’s dig a little deeper and find out. Even the most perfect Nicholas Sparks couple has to fill out their Form 1040 at some point. Every married couple has to do their taxes. It’s not the date night you were expecting, right? ![]() And now that you and your spouse are officially a part of each other's lives, you starry-eyed lovebirds can now change your filing status to married filing jointly. Romantic or not, taxes are a part of life.
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