Must
not file a joint return unless he or she is only filing to claim a refund of estimated taxes or income taxes withheld.
This responsibility applies even if your divorce decree states that your former spouse will be responsible for any amounts due on
previously filed joint returns.
The effect was that
filing a joint return became the most convenient, and cost - effective, way for married couples everywhere to file tax returns.
A marriage penalty exists when two individuals
filing a joint return pay more tax than the sum of their individual tax liabilities calculated as if they were filing as single taxpayers.
If the 2 people are the child's parents and they do
n't file a joint return, the individual with whom the child lived longer during the year claims the child.
This responsibility may apply even if your divorce decree states that your former spouse will be responsible for any amounts due on
previously filed joint returns.
In determining a taxpayer's eligibility to claim a dependency exemption, these proposed regulations change the IRS's position regarding the adjusted gross income of a
taxpayer filing a joint return for purposes of the tiebreaker rules and the source of support of certain payments that originated as governmental payments.
Contributions to a Roth IRA are phased out for individuals with adjusted gross income between $ 95,000 and $ 110,000 a year, and for married
persons filing a joint return with adjusted gross income between $ 150,000 and $ 160,000.
If you file your return as married filing separately, and then decide you would
rather file a joint return, the IRS allows you to change your filing status.
For example, if your son and his spouse
file a joint return because one or both of them had money withheld from their paychecks, but did not make enough to be required to file a return or owe any income taxes, you could still claim your son — and even his wife — if they meet all the other tests.
For example, an
investor filing a joint return in the 27.5 % tax bracket would have to purchase a zero coupon bond at 7.59 % to equal the tax - exempt municipal yield of 5.5 %.
Married couples
filing a joint return get to claim two personal exemptions (one for each of you) on the tax return instead of the one exemption allowed when you filed as a single individual.
Vincenzo Villamena, managing partner of a firm that provides tax planning help for Americans living overseas and others with special situations, says the easiest thing to do is to
simply file a joint return, treating a nonresident spouse as a resident, if necessary.
The applicable dollar amount for determining the deductible amount of an IRA contribution for taxpayers who are active
participants filing a joint return or as a qualifying widow (er) is $ 99,000.
Civil union
partners filing a joint return, must either provide copies of the federal extension application (or confirmation number) for both partners, or they must file Form NJ - 630.
When two people get married, if one person has a much larger income than the other, you might actually save a quite a bit of money on tax
by filing a joint return.
If your adjusted gross income is $ 65,000 or less ($ 130,000 or less
if filing a joint return), you are able to deduct the full $ 4,000.