Most people’s divorce decrees are not issued to coincide perfectly with the first day of the new year, nor do their decrees split all property and child custody rights perfectly so that taxes appear to be a breeze, or at least understandable.
So, what tax filing status (married filing jointly? married filing separately? single? head of household?) do you claim if you divorced in the middle of the year, beginning of the year, or near the end of the year? Filing status is determined by your marriage status on the last day of the tax year, which is the last day of the calendar year, which is December 31st. So if, by December 31, you were separated under a decree of separate maintenance or divorced by a decree of divorce, you qualify as unmarried for that tax year.
For more information on how divorce affects your tax status and your tax filing options, we’d be happy to speak with you. 801-466-9277 | eric@divorceutah.com