Unsplash+ in collaboration with Meg Aghamyan First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes filing your taxes together in one package. 💘💕💗💕💘 Or not. OK, I pushed it trying to rhyme marriage and package. Now it's clear why I stick to prose instead of poetry And that "or not" stanza is a bit counterintuitive on Valentine's Day, a time when we traditionally celebrate love and inseparability. But we are talking taxes on this heart day, so there's always an exception. Married filing options: It's true that most of the time, it's better to file one return jointly. Not only is... Read more →
DOMA-Same Sex Marriage
Photo by Vlada Karpovich Immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the constitutional right to abortion, talk turned to the longer-term ramifications of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ruling. The ending of the 49-year-old federal right to an abortion means states now can determine under what circumstances the medical procedure is allowed. Most that have enacted anti-abortion laws or reinstated pre-Roe statutes do not allow or severely limit the time frame in which it can be performed. Some even have granted an unborn fetus personhood, or have introduced legislation to ban abortion by establishing fetal personhood, according to... Read more →
Photo by Min An from Pexels Among the many welcome events that are returning as we continue to move beyond complete COVID-19 lockdown are weddings. Congratulations and best wishes to all the brides and grooms out there who finally are enjoying their long-planned celebrations. My gift to all y'all newlyweds is a few words of marital tax advice. With apologies for the spare gift wrapping, here are some tax tasks you need to take care of now, or at least as soon as you get back from your honeymoon. 1. Make sure everyone knows your new name. After marriage, some... Read more →
Couple waiting to get married at San Francisco City Hall. (Photo by Brian Kusler via Flickr) One good thing has come of my self-imposed pandemic lock down. Seeking a distraction from the news channels I usually watch, I'm finally getting more of my money's worth from our cable account. I've been exploring the many channels the hubby and I typically tend to click right past. For the last week or so, I've tuned in to WEtv because of its run of CSI: Miami episodes. No judging, please! Actually, the TV is more like a talking lamp (really!). The dramatic intonations... Read more →
The wealth-tax proposal advocated by Sen. Elizabeth Warren includes a hefty marriage penalty, according to one leading economist's analysis. (Photo courtesy Warren's Facebook page) It's another weekend, so that means it's time for another look at wealth tax proposals. Yeah, I know it seems like I'm in a bit of a rut, having posted about proposals from Democratic presidential hopefuls in recent weekends (on Aug. 18, Sept. 14 and a Monday, Sept. 16). But the suggested ways to get more money from the rich are still getting attention. Wealth tax roadblocks: Personally, I don't think any of these sweeping measures... Read more →
Change is the only constant, as the old saying goes, and that's as true on the last day of the year as it is on the first. Those changes also could mean changes to your taxes, as some life-altering situations on Dec. 31 affect your taxes for the preceding 364 days. Take, for example, tying the knot. If you get married today, congratulations. Have a spectacular combined wedding reception and New Year's Eve party. Also get ready after the confetti and toasts to deal with some filing changes to your 2018 taxes. Your new Dec. 31 husband or wife status... Read more →
I hope she said yes! (Photo by Matt via Flickr) Valentine's Day has become one of the most popular days of the year to propose. If you're anticipating popping or answering the big question at an intimate romantic dinner tonight, taxes likely won't be on your mind. But perhaps they should be. Love and money: I'm a big fan of marriage. I've been in a mostly happy one with the hubby for a looong time. (Yes, I was a child bride!) But even back then, I was a tax geek. That's why our choice of wedding date — the year... Read more →
Regardless of which month you marry, there are and will be tax matters to consider. Relaxing after the ceremony. (Photo by Barney Moss via Flickr) Ever wonder why June is "the" wedding month? Me, too. So I looked it up. The Old Farmer's Almanac, which I never realized was a go-to wedding planning resource, says that June is the most popular month to marry thanks to some ancient traditions. The Roman goddess Juno, for whom the sixth month was named, was the protector of women in all aspects of life, but especially in marriage and childbearing. So, says the Almanac,... Read more →
As the Internal Revenue Service explores a future that will make more of its customer services digital, it is getting support from an advisory committee. The Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC) issued its annual report last week, recommending that the IRS expand its electronic filing efforts and digital strategy. ETAAC also suggests the IRS expand expanded electronic filing of more tax returns, particularly employment taxes. That business tax segment is dramatically lagging in electronic filing participation. The report points out that in 2016 the IRS exceeded, for the fifth straight year, its 80 percent electronic filing goal for individual... Read more →
"Millions flee Georgia for the safety of North Carolina's bathrooms," quipped New Yorker columnist Andy Borowitz after the Tar Heel State's governor signed into a law a measure that, among other things, revokes local protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The part of the bill that's gotten most attention is, as Borowitz notes, the one that requires transgender people to use the bathroom corresponding with the gender they were born with rather than the one they identify with. North Carolina is the first state to require this. Last year, Houston, Texas, passed a similar law for facilities... Read more →
It's national Spouse's Day. Yes, apparently this is a real day, real in the sense that somebody came up with the idea and managed to get the word out there enough that it's generating some attention. I don't know how I've missed this holiday in previous years, being such a perfect wife to a great husband, but I discovered it today. Thanks Twitter #SpousesDay. And given that this is the first year that all married couples, regardless of gender and in every state, will be filing joint tax returns, it seems like a perfect day to remind folks of their... Read more →
You can't blame tax cheats if one of Martha and the Vandellas' biggest hits has been playing on a loop in their heads of late. Thanks to a new global effort, tax evaders will have nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. Click image to view Martha and the Vandellas YouTube video. Crossing borders to chase down tax cheats: Tax Inspectors Without Borders, or TIWB, is a new initiative from the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Its goal, is as its name indicates, is to send trained tax professionals from richer OECD nations... Read more →
Any time there's a big event, it's always followed by clean-up tasks. That's true for all the wedding celebrations held after the Supreme Court's granting of nationwide marriage equality in its June 26 Obergefell v. Hodges decision. It's also true of the tax laws that now apply to all the new same-sex newlyweds. Specifically, the Internal Revenue Code, officially known as Title 26 of the U.S. Code, needs a major search-and-replace so that references to "husband and wife" become "spouses." You can peruse the tax code at either the Government Publishing Office's 3,837-pages PDF document or the House of Representative's... Read more →
In an historic 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that all couples, regardless of gender, have the right to be married in all 50 states. Marriage equality advocates celebrate the Supreme Court ruling that all 50 states must allow and recognized same-sex marriages. (Photo courtesy Human Rights Campaign) The victory for marriage equality advocates was expected, given the number of lower courts that have ruled that way and the dramatic shift in public support for same-sex marriages. However, no one wanted to get out ahead of this Supreme Court, which has had a habit of issuing decisions, read... Read more →
June 26 could be the day that marriage equality officially arrives in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hand down its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges either today or Monday, June 29. Supporters of same-sex marriage rallied outside the Supreme Court in April when oral arguments were presented. Photo courtesy Human Rights Campaign video via YouTube. The case actually is a consolidation of four same-sex marriage federal lawsuits, one each from Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Michigan. But the ramifications of the high court's ruling ultimately will affect all 50 states. The imminent decision is the culmination... Read more →
My fellow Texan Kinky Friedman, as well-known for his often outrageous comments and political dalliances as for his writings and music, declared his support for marriage equality because same-sex couples "have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us." However, unhappily married gay and lesbian couples don't have the right in the Lone Star State to get a divorce. Or do they? Texas, like 13 other states, does not sanction same-sex marriages. Neither does it recognize such marriages that were legally performed in other states. So, argue some Texas officials, the state cannot grant a same-sex couple... Read more →
Just in time for Valentine's Day, many gay and lesbian couples in Alabama late last week were taking the ultimate commitment step by saying "I do." The ability to exchange wedding vows with distinctly Southern drawls was made possible by a federal court ruling. The battle, however, continues in Alabama; the state's supreme court is expected to weigh in next week. At the national level, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the legality of same-sex marriages this summer. On this day special to lovers, however, there are 38 U.S. jurisdictions where same-sex couples can marry. And on... Read more →
The Supreme Court earlier this month gave same-sex couples the ability to get married in five more states when it refused to hear appellate cases that had struck down the states' bans on such ceremonies. Gay and lesbian couples in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin lined up soon after the High Court non-ruling to exchange vows. Now the affected state tax departments must adjust their rules to accommodate the newlyweds. Virginia is for all lovers: The Old Dominion's tax officials were quick to act. On Oct. 7, the day after the Supreme Court inaction, Virginia's Department of Taxation issued... Read more →
If you just discovered an error on an old tax return, you might be able to correct it. All you need is Form 1040X … as long as the mistake was made on a return you filed within the last three years. Click image for PDF download of full Form 1040X. Details on filing an amended tax return, which is what you'll do with Form 1040X, are found in the Weekly Tax Tip. I'll let you check out the full tip at your leisure, but here are five key things to keep in mind. First, note the three-year time limit... Read more →
It's spring and young couples' fancy lightly turn to thoughts of love. And if they're like the hubby and me, they're also thinking about baseball. That's right. Today is Opening Day! The 2014 Major League Baseball season technically started on Saturday, March 22, when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks faced off in Sydney, Australia. Yes, the first game of the season was outside the country. So was the second on March 23. The Dodgers took both games at Sydney Cricket Ground. Then we had the 2014 U.S. opening night on Sunday, March 30, at Petco Park, where the... Read more →