Hi Do anyone know what i need to do to file taxes since were married?

[micahmoos 5]

I was wondering now that were married as of the 24th ,what do i file for taxes

[belinda63 3,047]

If you married anytime prior to the stroke of midnight of December 31, 2013 you are married for that tax year. Remember the taxes you are filing for now are for the 2013 year.

Since you married in 2014 you were SINGLE in 2013.

[micahmoos 5]

If you married anytime prior to the stroke of midnight of December 31, 2013 you are married for that tax year. Remember the taxes you are filing for now are for the 2013 year.

Since you married in 2014 you were SINGLE in 2013.

He got here Jan 11,2014 Married /the 24th of Janurary

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

If you were married in 2014, then you will file single still for 2013. You will file married for your 2014 taxes next year.

~ Moved from K-1 Process to Moving Here and Your New Life in America - topic is not about K-1 or any immigration process ~

[Senai 1]

Single for the purpose of tax return in year 2013

[OK&MK 17]

He got here Jan 11,2014 Married /the 24th of Janurary

Remember, when you file your 2013 taxes, you're filing for events and income earned in 2013. When you file next year for 2014, then you'll file as married. But for 2013, you were single (or head of household, if you had dependents in 2013).

[Pinkrlion 2,724]

You file head of household for 2013, you cannot claim spouse as he was not here in the US in 2013.

[BeanCamp 28]

so for those of us who married in 2013, we can claim the spouse? Eventhough we there was not active employment and lived less than six months in the year. I will ask my accountant, just curious how it works since now I will file married.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

so for those of us who married in 2013, we can claim the spouse? Eventhough we there was not active employment and lived less than six months in the year. I will ask my accountant, just curious how it works since now I will file married.

Yes you can file married for 2013 if you were married in 2013. You elect to consider the spouse a resident for tax purposes.

[Darnell 8,479]

so for those of us who married in 2013, we can claim the spouse?

Yes.

[novedsac 355]

so for those of us who married in 2013, we can claim the spouse? Eventhough we there was not active employment and lived less than six months in the year. I will ask my accountant, just curious how it works since now I will file married.

As far as filing status goes, it is the status you were at the close of the year. If you ended 2013 as 'married', then you MUST file as married.

Your wife could be unemployed and living on the moon and never have set foot in the USA - you still must filed 'married'. And it's to your benefit, really, as it puts you in a much more favorable pool of tax rates and AGI thresholds.

Another example - say you married in JAN 2013 and the finalized divorce in NOV 2013, you get kinda screwed as now you MUST file as either 'single' or 'head of household' for 2013; you are not eligible to file 'married' as you did not end the year in this status.

Now, filing status and whether you can claim your wife as a dependent are two very different things. You can still file 'married' and not be eligible to claim your wife as a dependent. You need to look at the tax rules, especially those pertaining to nonresident alien spouse, to determine eligibility as a dependent.

[novedsac 355]

Yes.

Careful ... filing 'married' because you were married does not necessarily mean you can claim your spouse as a dependent.

The tax forms have a separate box to check if you want / are elligible to claim your spouse as a dependent.

If you ENDED 2013 married to your spouse, then YES you MUST file as MARRIED (either jointly or separately).

Whether you can claim your spouse as a DEPENDENT for 2013 depends on meeting certain eligibility criteria, mainly around where the spouse resided for the majority of 2013. The criteria are very clear ... just review them at the IRS website, or the instructions for Form 1040.

Also, remember that for the purposes of tax law, IRS defines 'residency' and 'alien' very differently than USCIS.

[KayDeeCee 4,896]

But a spouse is never a dependent. You file married and claim an exemption for yourself and one for your spouse. You do not claim them as a dependent.

For a non resident, it makes no difference where they resided. As Harpa stated above, you can choose to declare the spouse as a resident for the entire tax year. http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Nonresident-Spouse-Treated-as-a-Resident

[christeen 966]

Spouse is never a dependent... But when you file married filing jointly, they are counted as an expedition...

[novedsac 355]

Spouse is never a dependent... But when you file married filing jointly, they are counted as an expedition...

True, marriage is often of expedition full of adventure and the unexpected.

True, also, a spouse may or may not be counted as an 'exemption' … sorry, I used the word 'dependent' inappropriately for tax purposes, which I should have known better as a corporate tax attorney.