Or do you have to file married and filing separately? Which way is more beneficial?
2007-01-05 08:16:55 · 14 answers · asked by rideabanjopicker 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Taxes ➔ United States
If you are married, filing as "single" is a violation of federal law and carries severe criminal and financial penalties including but not limited to fines and incarceration in a federal penitentiary.
2007-01-05 08:19:38 · answer #1 · answered by Fergi the Great 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your filing status is dependent upon your marital status on 12/31. If you are married then you either file married filing jointly or married filing separately. Married filng jointly is usually more beneficial unless the lower earning spouse has a lot of various deductions.
However, if you are legally separated as of 12/31 then you can file single. Legally separated means there is a divorce decree or a maintanance decree on file with the courts not that your spouse walked out.
You can NOT just file single if you are legally married. Well, you can certainly do it but hope you don't get audited...hows that?
p.s. Glazeddonut is talking about what you are claiming on your deductions using the w-4 (at least I hope so). That's an entirely diff thing than your filing with the IRS.
2007-01-05 09:01:36 · answer #2 · answered by digdowndeepnseattle 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I see a lot of varried answers and most of them are partly right.
Normally if you are married on 12/31 you must file married filling a joint return or married filing a separate return. However there are certain cases where you can be considered unmarried for tax purposes. This involves your spouse not living in the home the last 6 months of the year and you providing a home for a dependent child. If you meet the criteria for that then you would file Head of Household. If you do not meet these criteria then Married filing a joint return is the best possible way to file. Good luck.
2007-01-05 09:05:53 · answer #3 · answered by misskenzie12 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Joint returns result in lower taxes about 95% of the time. You cannot file single. You can file as married filing separately if you don't care about saving taxes as a couple. You can get your separate refunds but the total will be smaller that a joint refund.
2007-01-05 08:57:37 · answer #4 · answered by spicertax 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
people stop......
If you are married you MUST file MARRIED. If you were divorced on dec 31st then you can file single or in some cases married filing seperate. Married has the best tax breaks (especially if kids are involved) and it is beneficial to file that staus.
2007-01-05 12:23:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Assuming which you have been single on the tip of 2006, you will possibly report as single for that 12 months. in the journey that your mom and dad qualify to declare you as a based, then specific they might, and declare the EIC with you as a qualifying baby in case you meet each and all of the regulations. At age 23, you will possibly purely qualify in case you have been an entire-time pupil for a minimum of five months of 2006. Your getting married in 2007 would not substitute something tax-clever for 2006.
2016-12-15 16:35:44 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you do not to wish to file as married, you are permitted to file as "married filing seperately." You do not have to be seperated from your spouse and living arrangements are irrelevent for the seperate filing choice. Be careful though, because the ability to take deductions depends on whose name those deductions are in. For example, if the mortgage is in your spouses name, then that spouse gets the entire interest deduction...none for you. It is generally wiser to go ahead and file married.
Good luck to you.
2007-01-05 10:27:57 · answer #7 · answered by samkidsmom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Can not file single - no. Married or married filing seperately.
2007-01-05 10:10:29 · answer #8 · answered by vegas_iwish 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are married, you surely can file as single (thats what I do). If you file as single, all it does is it takes the maximum amount of taxes out per paycheck (as if you were single and have no onedepending on your for support). I know it sounds bad to have the most money taken out, but in the long run it is beneficial. One, you will not have as much to spend on a daily basis (not that you do that) and it will also help you gain the most return on your taxes at the end of the year (refund check). If you file married, it takes less money out of each paycheck, since it assumes that you have dependant(s) but you will get less at tax return time. You are not penalized if you are married and file as single. Just make sure that your spouse files as married, you dont want to have both of you file as single, for then you will both be taking out the max tax every paycheck- one of you should file as married as to denote that there is a dependant. Personally, the lower income spouse should file as single, as it hits less hard overall,monetarily speaking.
2007-01-05 08:22:59 · answer #9 · answered by glazeddonut27 3 · 1⤊ 4⤋
You cant file single becuase you're not single.
File married filing seperately or seperated (if that applies).
2007-01-05 08:17:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋