Welcome Guest. Register Now!  



Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 01-09-2017, 07:52 PM
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 1
confused

hi, I married 12/6/16. we currently live in different states & didn't live together any of 2016, therefore I took care of my 3 yr old solely. can Ifile single and head of house??? or should I file jointly, he receives some kind of soc.security benefits but I don't know if they are taxable. I trying to find out my best option. I will be moving with him sometime this year.



Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Reddit! stumble!bookmark in google!Share on Facebook!
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 01-10-2017, 10:17 AM
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,258
hi, I married 12/6/16. we currently live in different states & didn't live together any of 2016, therefore I took care of my 3 yr old solely. can Ifile single and head of house??? ====>No you can not file as single; Even though you live in different states and id not live together, you are still considered married unless you obtained a divorce or a decree of separate maintenance from the courts by Dec. 31 of the tax year of 2016. You can still file a joint return if your spouse agrees to file with you, even though you no longer live together. This usually provides the greatest tax advantages overall. But if for any reason you choose to file a separate return, you are prohibited from claiming "single" as your filing status. Normally you must choose "married filing separately," although in certain cases you may qualify to file as "head of household." If you meet the IRS qualifications to be "considered unmarried," you might be able to file as head of household. To file under this status, you must have lived apart from your spouse for the last 6 months of the tax year, You were not married (you were single, divorced, or legally separated), or were "considered unmarried" on the last day of the tax year, paid more than half the expenses of keeping up a home, and have had a qualified child living with you most of the year. A qualifying child can be your child, a grandchild, or etc. You also must be able to claim the child as a dependent, unless your spouse is claiming the exemption as part of a written agreement.


or should I file jointly, he receives some kind of soc.security benefits but I don't know if they are taxable. I trying to find out my best option.==> When you file using the Married Filing Separately filing status, you lose certain benefits. For example, you can't claim the earned income tax credit or the credit for child and dependent care expenses. If your spouse itemizes deductions, you must also itemize your deductions. In most cases, you will pay higher combined income taxes by filing separate returns, according to the IRS. you have the choice between filing a joint tax return or a separate tax return. The MFJ filing status provides more tax benefits than MFS status, but taxpayers will need to weigh the pros and cons and decide for themselves which is the best filing status. Your spouse?s soc sec income is taxable if your MAGI(agi plus 50% of yopur spouse?s soc sec income) exceeds these thresholds:
$32k if you?re married and file a joint tax return (as most couples do), or
$25k if you?re single; however, if you file your taxes separately, the threshold is reduced to zero?you always have to pay taxes on your benefits. The only exception is if you did not live together at any time during the year; in this event the $25k threshold appliesThis applies to all types of Social Security benefits: disability, retirement, dependents, and survivors benefits.
How much of your Social Security benefits will be taxed depends on just how high your combined income is.

Unlike income taxes, the amount you owe in Social Security taxes is unaffected by the size of your family or by your tax filing status. Your Social Security tax obligation depends on only one thing: how much income you make. For couples filing joint tax returns, the amount they owe in Social Security taxes depends on each spouse's individual income



Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Reddit! stumble!bookmark in google!Share on Facebook!
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 01-10-2017, 10:30 AM
Moderator
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,258
hi, I married 12/6/16. we currently live in different states & didn't live together any of 2016, therefore I took care of my 3 yr old solely. can Ifile single and head of house??? ====>No you can not file as single; Even though you live in different states and id not live together, you are still considered married unless you obtained a divorce or a decree of separate maintenance from the courts by Dec. 31 of the tax year of 2016. You can still file a joint return if your spouse agrees to file with you, even though you no longer live together. This usually provides the greatest tax advantages overall. But if for any reason you choose to file a separate return, you are prohibited from claiming "single" as your filing status. Normally you must choose "married filing separately," although in certain cases you may qualify to file as "head of household." If you meet the IRS qualifications to be "considered unmarried," you might be able to file as head of household. To file under this status, you must have lived apart from your spouse for the last 6 months of the tax year, You were not married (you were single, divorced, or legally separated), or were "considered unmarried" on the last day of the tax year, paid more than half the expenses of keeping up a home, and have had a qualified child living with you most of the year. A qualifying child can be your child, a grandchild, or etc. You also must be able to claim the child as a dependent, unless your spouse is claiming the exemption as part of a written agreement.


or should I file jointly, he receives some kind of soc.security benefits but I don't know if they are taxable. I trying to find out my best option.==> When you file using the Married Filing Separately filing status, you lose certain benefits. For example, you can't claim the earned income tax credit or the credit for child and dependent care expenses. If your spouse itemizes deductions, you must also itemize your deductions. In most cases, you will pay higher combined income taxes by filing separate returns, according to the IRS. you have the choice between filing a joint tax return or a separate tax return. The MFJ filing status provides more tax benefits than MFS status, but taxpayers will need to weigh the pros and cons and decide for themselves which is the best filing status. Your spouse?s soc sec income is taxable if your MAGI(agi plus 50% of yopur spouse?s soc sec income) exceeds these thresholds:
$32k if you?re married and file a joint tax return (as most couples do), or
$25k if you?re single; however, if you file your taxes separately, the threshold is reduced to zero?you always have to pay taxes on your benefits. The only exception is if you did not live together at any time during the year; in this event the $25k threshold appliesThis applies to all types of Social Security benefits: disability, retirement, dependents, and survivors benefits.
How much of your Social Security benefits will be taxed depends on just how high your combined income is.

Unlike income taxes, the amount you owe in Social Security taxes is unaffected by the size of your family or by your tax filing status. Your Social Security tax obligation depends on only one thing: how much income you make. For couples filing joint tax returns, the amount they owe in Social Security taxes depends on each spouse's individual income



Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Reddit! stumble!bookmark in google!Share on Facebook!
Reply With Quote
Ads
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Confused on f8606 kbrisson For 2013 2 05-10-2014 07:59 AM
Confused Teacher purplemarker Itemized Deductions 1 03-04-2014 01:10 AM
NJ resident with business in NYC confused Jim in NJ S-Corporation 3 12-22-2012 12:27 PM
Confused on 1099 sent to us River525 Income 3 01-30-2011 03:34 PM
I'm confused with this new tax credit jojodre Homeowner Tax 0 01-11-2009 12:55 PM

Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Google Buzz Rss Feeds

» Categories
 
Individual
 » Income
 » IRA/Sep
 » Medical
 
Corporations
 » Payroll
 
Forum for CPAs
 
Financial Planning
 
 
 

» Recent Tax Q&A
No Threads to Display.