Will it matter if my taxes when filled said "single" VS "married" when applying for CR1?

[Wuozopo 4,293]

6 minutes ago, Ayrton said:

No. The circumstances that you mentioned are exactly in the case of someone is married and live apart, so they can file as head of household.

 No??? I think we are agreeing on this one. She can be unmarried by IRS exceptions (apart from spouse and has a dependent child) in order to qualify as Head of Household. She could file as Single, but HOH is the e better choice.

Edited February 14, 2021 by Wuozopo

[Ayrton 965]

2 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

 No??? I think we are agreeing on this one. She can be unmarried by IRS exceptions (apart from spouse and has a dependent child) in order to qualify as Head of Household. She could file as Single, but HOH is the e better choice.

The exception doesn't qualify OP to file as single. That's what we are trying to say. 

 

The exception would allow OP to be considered unmarried for the only purpose of filing as Head of Household. Never as Single.

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

1 minute ago, Ayrton said:

The exception doesn't qualify OP to file as single. That's what we are trying to say. 

 

The exception would allow OP to be considered unmarried for the only purpose of filing as Head of Household. Never as Single.

That is how I see it, too.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

2 minutes ago, Ayrton said:

The exception would allow OP to be considered unmarried for the only purpose of filing as Head of Household. Never as Single.

Isn’t an unmarried person a “single” person? Well maybe not by IRS terms, so I’ll go along with your thinking. Head of Household is the best choice anyway. 

[Ayrton 965]

21 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

Isn’t an unmarried person a “single” person? Well maybe not by IRS terms, so I’ll go along with your thinking. Head of Household is the best choice anyway. 

 

For tax purposes, not exactly. All single persons are unmarried, but not all unmarried are single. And IRS uses  Unmarried and Married to determine marital status, not Single/Married.

 

From the IRS website:

 

"Head of Household
...You are considered unmarried for this purpose if any of the following applies.

• You are married but lived apart from your spouse for the last 6 months of 2020 and you meet the other rules under Married persons who live apart, later.
• You are married to a nonresident alien at any time during the year and the election to treat the alien spouse as a resident alien is not made."

 

So they're only considered unmarried for the purpose of filing as Head of household.

 

- Single (not legally married): can file as single/head of household.

- Married and meet the requirements above: head of household/MFJ/MFS.

- Married and doesn't meet the requirements above: MFJ/MFS.

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Ayrton

[neca 166]

15 hours ago, Talako said:

As a CPA, my advice is not to solicit tax advice from strangers on this website.

 

There is so much wrong in this thread.

 

Saying things with conviction does not make it correct.

I'd be interested to read what exactly is wrong, if you wouldn't mind elaborating. It could help those of us looking to learn better than a blanket "it's not good because I say so" statement. ✌️

[Crazy Cat 41,845]

3 minutes ago, neca said:

I'd be interested to read what exactly is wrong, if you wouldn't mind elaborating. It could help those of us looking to learn better than a blanket "it's not good because I say so" statement. ✌️

I have found that not all free advice is poor advice....although some expensive advice actually is poor advice......