• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Budgeting / Debt Relief
  • Home / Health / Auto
  • Credit Cards & Scores
  • Tax Tips
  • Kids / Students & Money
  • More
    • Electronics & Gadgets
    • Health & Beauty
    • Hobbies & Crafts
    • Home & Garden
    • Jobs & Money
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Travel

Personal Finance Guide

Real People. Real Experiences. Real Helpful.

a Fun Times Guide site

search

Home » Jobs & Money » Tax Tips » What Is My Tax Filing Status?

What Is My Tax Filing Status?

Pin
Share
Tweet

We write about products and services that we use. This page may contain affiliate links for which we receive a commission.


If you’re preparing to file your IRS taxes, you may have some questions about your tax filing status.

There are 5 filing statuses available to taxpayers:

  • Married filing jointly
  • Married filing separately
  • Surviving spouse
  • Head of household
  • Single

Below, we’ll discuss each tax filing status and the related benefits and requirements….

tax-filing-status

 

Married Filing Jointly

This filing status is for couples who are married as of the last day of the tax year. It doesn’t matter whether you were married on January 1 or December 31, you are considered married for the whole tax year. Additionally, if you are separated from your spouse at tax time, you are still legally married until your divorce is finalized. One more caveat is that in order to utilize this filing status, both spouses must be U.S. citizens.

If a spouse passes away during the year, the surviving spouse is still considered married to the decedent spouse for that tax year (as long as he or she does not remarry). Therefore, the surviving spouse may file using this status and claim 2 personal exemptions.

Most married couples should use this filing status because it typically results in a lower tax liability. Since most married couples earn different amounts, the average of their income will result in a lower tax bracket. Additionally, the married filing jointly tax rate schedule is more beneficial than any other rate schedule.

 

Married Filing Separately

Married couples who choose to file separately must use this filing status and not the “single” status. As opposed to the “married filing jointly” tax rate schedule, this rate schedule is the most unfavorable, but is based off one-half of the married filing jointly status.

Additionally, this has some limitations. One example is that neither spouse may claim an earned income credit or child and dependent care credit. Typically, filing under this status will cost a few extra dollars.

So, who should complete their tax return using this filing status? First, non-resident aliens married to U.S. citizens should file under this status. Second, if a couple is in the process of a divorce or separation, this status can relieve a spouse of any penalties or liabilities from the other spouse’s tax return. Finally, couples that keep their finances separately or are in positions where they are facing a lack of trust, filing separately may be necessary.

If problems initially warranting filing separately are resolved prior to the filing deadline, an amended tax return can be submitted. However, if the issues are resolved after the filing deadline, no amended return can be filed.

 

Surviving Spouse

This filing status was created by Congress to recognize the hardships faced after the death of a spouse. In order to file using this status, the surviving spouse must meet the requirements of a “qualified widow or widower.”

The 2 requirements are as follows:

  • The surviving spouse must not have remarried
  • Must have at least 1 dependent child for whom he/she pays one-half the costs of maintaining the household

If the requirements are met, then the surviving spouse may continue to use the married filing jointly tax rate schedule and standard deduction for 2 years following the year of the spouse’s death. However, the surviving spouse may not claim the personal exemption for the deceased spouse. After this 2 year period, the spouse may no longer file using the surviving spouse status, but may qualify for the head of household filing status.

 

Head of Household

To qualify as a head of household, a person must meet both of the following requirements:

  • He or she must be single at year-end, unless he/she qualifies as an abandoned spouse (discussed later).
  • He or she must pay more than half the costs of maintaining a home in which a child or other dependent relative lives for at least half of the tax year.

A few exceptions apply to the second requirement. First, the child (not the dependent relative) does not have to be a dependent of the taxpayer, unless the child is married. Second, temporary absences for school, vacation, or medical care can be included in the time spent with the taxpayer.

Finally, a dependent relative must live in the home of the taxpayer. However, an exception is made for dependent parents of the taxpayer. The dependent parents are not required to live in the taxpayer’s home.

One exception to the first requirement of being single at year-end is the abandoned spouse classification. An abandoned spouse is an individual who is married at year-end but has lived apart from his or her spouse for the entire last 6 months of the tax year and has paid more than one-half the costs of maintaining a home in which a dependent child has lived for more than half the tax year. In this situation, the taxpayer can file as head of household instead of having to file as married filing separately.

The head of household status is more beneficial than the single filing status, however it is not as favorable as the married filing jointly status.

 

Single

The single filing status is for all taxpayers who do not qualify for any of the tax filing statuses discussed above.

Alix
Alix

Very few people use the words fun and taxes together… and don’t worry, I’m not one of them. I hope to make taxes easier to understand and less of a hassle. I am a CPA with a Master’s in Accounting, and I’ll do my best to help explain many of the tax options available today.

Pin
Share
Tweet

Filed Under: Jobs & Money, Tax Tips Tagged With: death and dying, Spousal issues, Taxes 101

Primary Sidebar

About Us

LynnetteWith input from Financial Advisors, (a Tax Accountant and an Investment Manager), I share helpful tips regarding money and finances -- including debt relief, insurance, budgeting, and investing for retirement. My goal is to help you save more, spend less, and invest for the future by sharing honest, tried & true budgeting tips and tools. When I'm not saving for the future and helping others save for theirs, you can find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

Lynnette: View My Blog Posts

AndreaI have been a certified tightwad striving for financial freedom since I became pregnant with my first child -- and I decided to find a way to stay home with him full-time. I enjoy sharing my personal experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future -- which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.

Andrea: View My Blog Posts

Top Searches

auto insurance bankruptcy banks books car buying charities childcare Christmas clothing and shoes college consignment and thrift stores credit cards and gift cards credit rating death and dying debt relief frugal tips gas and car costs gifts grocery shopping health insurance home buying homeowners insurance identity theft investments jobs life insurance loans monthly bills and utilities office items and housewares online shopping organizing tips phone restaurants retirement saving money selling things senior living Spousal issues stocks student loans and financial aid tax credits and deductions Taxes 101 tax updates today's economy traffic tickets

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Fun Times Guide logo
Shop Our Favorite Items

Copyright © 2004-2021 The Fun Times Guide | Privacy Policy | About | Contact | Sitemap