Just got married. Forgot to update W-2 to married status. How should I file tax?

Question

I got married in June 2006, but forgot to update my W-2 to married status. I would prefer to file jointly but not sure if having to forget to update the W-2 matters.

Answer 1

You don't actually have to claim married on your w-4 tax form, which is what you'd fill out with your employer, but you now have the right to. Filing married means they take less taxes out, figuring you'll need the money, and you might have to pay more later. Married people can still file single, with 0, 1, 2 or however many allowances they can. Remember when you fill out the w-4 worksheet, it's telling you how many allowances you can take, not what you need to take. You can take anything up to that figure, and taking less means you have a better chance of a refund. So there are no penalties for not changing your status to married, you'll have to figure out if you want to and what it means to your taxes. You can make any changes in the HR or payroll department of your company on a W-4 form.

Answer 2

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RE:
Just got married. Forgot to update W-2 to married status. How should I file tax?
I got married in June 2006, but forgot to update my W-2 to married status. I would prefer to file jointly but not sure if having to forget to update the W-2 matters.

Answer 3

W2 Filing Status

Answer 4

Updating your W4 won't affect how you file your return, it only affects how much tax is withheld from your pay. Your W2 does not reflect your marital status.

You can file any way that you are entitled to, though Married Filing Jointly is almost always the best bet.

Answer 5

Well now that you are married you need to file a joint return (or you can choose to file married filing seperate but its not worth it in most cases). A married individual can still claim single on his wage withholding, there is no law saying you have to claim married on your W-4, so don't worry about it. I would, however, contact your accountant to adjust your witholding status so you have less tax withheld from your paycheck.

Answer 6

It doesn't really matter what status your w-2 says that just means that they took out more taxes than they should have so you will probably get a little more back. You can file jointly with no problems.

Answer 7

If you're married, you must either file jointly or seperately (seperate no benefits compared to filing jointly). Your W2 status does nothing to your filing status. With your W2 on single status, they were taking more out of your check than they would had you switched it to married. If you're due a refund, it would be larger than had you changed your status.

Answer 8

No worries. I didn't adjust my W2 in 2005 and I got married in December. The advantage: I paid taxes all year as a single taxpayer. When I filed our joint return I got quite a substantial amount back.

Answer 9

Doesn't matter. It just means that you will likely get money back because your employer has been withholding at the higher single rate. You can still file jointly.

Get your info updated with your employer ASAP, as it will result in you getting a bigger paycheck.

Answer 10

For the most part you can only claim married if you are married. There is one exception however. If you live apart from your spouse for the last half of the year, you care for a child, step child, or foster child that lived with you for more than half of the year, claim the child as a dependent (unless you signed that dependent over to your wife), and maintain more they half the housing costs for yourself and you child you can qualify for the Head of Household filling status.