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 » From: shhhhh ... we don't want mom to know Dear TaxMama: Please help me figure out my status for next year's taxes! My partner and I plan to be married for commitment purposes. But I want to file as single because I don't want my parent to find out my marriage status untill the next 2 years. Can a married person who is ... 1. living apart (but not necessarily legally separated) from the spouse 2. not caring for a dependent child (or have no children) 3. not sharing income be treated as single when filing for taxes? Rachel Dear Rachel, Congratulations on finding Mr. Right. But, do what you plan - and you're going to lose him. No, you may not file as single. Sorry, not legally. Not that I know. Once you're married, you have two choices for filing status, married, filing jointly, or You could get away with it your way, but, I never like lying to IRS. It's not a good thing. Why would your parents even see your tax returns? Your filing status is none of their business. (Heavens, my parents NEVER saw my tax returns.) I'm not sure what your reason is for not letting your parents know. Or why they don't want you to be married for two more years? You're counting on financial aid from them to complete your education? Are you really sure that you want to start your married life with deception? If you and your partner honestly want to be married and spend the rest of your lives together, I'll give you a tip - wait. If it's meant to be, he'll still love you two years from now. If he doesn't, you've just spared yourself the nastiness of a divorce. You start out your marriage with a lie to your parents, well, that signals that it's also all right to lie to each other. Is that really what you want to teach your husband to do? This 'placeholder' business is just plain cowardly. Please pause and reconsider your options. An engagement, even if you live together, can be healthy, and not harmful to your tax or financial status. Best wishes, Eva Rosenberg Your TaxMama  |
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