An individual taxpayer’s status as married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, qualifying surviving spouse/widow(er) or single can have a significant impact on how much tax they end up paying and the benefits they receive. A taxpayer’s filing status will impact:
- Whether they need to file a return
- The type of return that should be filed
- The standard deduction amount
- Which credits they can claim
- The amount of tax they pay
Below, you’ll find a few of the top questions from a recent webinar on the topic and their accompanying answers. If you choose to attend the on-demand version of this webinar, you’ll have access to the full recording and the entire list of Q&As.
Q: How long is the qualifying widower filing status available to taxpayers?
A: The qualifying widow(er) filing status is only available for the two tax years following the year in which the spouse died.
Q: Can a taxpayer claim the qualifying widower filing status if there are no dependent children?
A: No. One of the requirements for this filing status is that the taxpayer have a child, stepchild or adopted child they can claim as a dependent. A foster child does not qualify.
Q: A taxpayer is considered unmarried at the end of the tax year and does maintain a household that is the principal place of abode for more than half of the tax year for a qualifying child. Must the taxpayer claim the child in order to file as HOH?
A: No. The household needs to be the principal place of abode for a child for whom the taxpayer can claim as a dependent (or could claim as a dependent but for the fact that the deduction was allocated to the non-custodial parent).
Q: I know people who file MFS to reduce their student loan interest and then amend their return to MFJ to get the child dependent care credits.
A: For tax purposes, if separate returns are originally filed, the spouses generally can elect to file an amended joint return within three years of the original due date, excluding extensions, of the separate returns. How this impacts student loans is not a tax issue but an issue with the lender.
To learn more determining the filing statuses of your clients, you can watch our on-demand webinar. NATP members can attend for free, depending on membership level! If you’re not an NATP member and want to learn more, join our completely free 30-day trial at natptax.com/explore.
About National Association of Tax ProfessionalsThe National Association of Tax Professionals (NATP) is the largest association dedicated to equipping tax professionals with the resources, connections and education they need to provide the highest level of service to their clients. NATP is comprised of over 23,000 leading tax professionals who believe in a superior standard of ethics and exemplify professional excellence. Members rely on NATP to deliver professional connections, content expertise and advocacy that provides them with the support they need to best serve their clients. The organization welcomes all tax professionals in their quest to continually meet the needs of the public, no matter where they are in their careers.
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Information included in this article is accurate as of the publish date. This post is not reflective of tax law changes or IRS guidance that may have occurred after the date of publishing. All taxpayer circumstances are different, and NATP recommends contacting research services if you have specific questions about your clients’ tax situations.