By Deborah Ritz
My husband and I have been separated since early 2010. Our divorce was final a month ago. How will this affect how I file my taxes?
If your divorce was final before December 31, 2014, you file single or head of household, if you have qualifying dependents living with you.
If you were not divorced as of December 31, 2010, you can file married filing separately or head of household, if you have qualifying dependents living in your home.
Filing single is relatively easy however.
If you are filing head of household be sure to check on what the IRS defines as “a qualifying dependent and living in your home.”
I got married in September 2014. Since I was single for most of the year do I file my tax as single?
Since you were married before December 31, 2014 you have three possible options:
1. File married jointly combining both your’s and your spouse’s incomes and deductions
2. File married filing separate which places you both in a higher tax bracket, with the loss of many deductions and credits with other tax implications
3. File head of household, but only if you have a qualified dependent living in your home and you meet the IRS’s definition of both qualifying dependent and living in your home.
My husband passed away in October. How do I file our taxes this year?
You will file married filing jointly and sign the return as the surviving spouse.
More information can be found in IRS Publication 501 or at the IRS website www.irs.gov/publications/p501/ar02.html.
—
Questions for Deborah Ritz can be e-mailed to The Weekly Adirondack at WeeklyADK@yahoo.com