Any advice appreciated
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Brick, NJ
Posts: 52
Any advice appreciated
So I've had no contact with AH in 15 days except for his quacking texts which I don't respond to. My problem is that he's famous for dragging his feet at tax time. Last year he didn't do his taxes until Oct. because in his paranoid "mind" we owed a lot of money, we didn't, we got a refund in Nov. By that time, I had already made cash payments for my son's (his stepson) college tuition every month. I had to do this because the financial aid (FAFSA form) requires your tax info to see if you are eligible or not. So I couldn't file for financial aid last semester. Without financial aid, the upcoming spring semester payments will be $784 a month, something I won't be able to afford without my AH's income. They won't go by my income alone since there is no "legal separation" in my state. We are still married and the financial aid form goes by "household income". Sorry this is getting confusing. I guess what I'm asking is this.. How do I get an uncooperative, spiteful drunk to file his taxes on time so I can file for financial aid on time? Anyone else out there married but currently separated from their spouse and wondering how to handle tax time? Would be nice if we could do this the "grown-up" way, but as most of us know, drunks don't act very grown -up. Any advice?
Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Waterford MI
Posts: 4,202
Where is the child living?
Who is supporting the child?
I think that is what the IRS wants to know..
As far as uncooperative spouses, well, uh...okay I got nothing.
Call the IRS. Really. They have been quite helpful to me in the past.
Oh yeah, financial aid sucks.
Dumb financial aid offices. oh, i must be patient. very patient.
Is there a law keeping you from filing as head of household right now?
While he is fiddling around, you need to take care of business.
I am sorry, I am no help at all.
Who is supporting the child?
I think that is what the IRS wants to know..
As far as uncooperative spouses, well, uh...okay I got nothing.
Call the IRS. Really. They have been quite helpful to me in the past.
Oh yeah, financial aid sucks.
Dumb financial aid offices. oh, i must be patient. very patient.
Is there a law keeping you from filing as head of household right now?
While he is fiddling around, you need to take care of business.
I am sorry, I am no help at all.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 244
I found this article at Married Filing Separately: Tax Question of the Day
, hope it might help
Throughout the tax season I will be answering one tax question per day.
Today's question comes from H. Hester in Georgia. She asks, "If you are married, can you file your taxes separately?"
Yes, married couples can file their tax returns separately from each other. You do this by choosing the "married filing separately" filing status on Form 1040 (box 3 on page one of Form 1040). Each spouse will file his and her own Form 1040. Each will also report the other spouse's Social Security Number at the top of the form, and will write-in the spouse's name in the area next to box 3.
There are some very good reasons for wanting to file separately. I detail those reasons in my article on Choosing Your Filing Status.
In general, married couples will have a lower overall tax bill if they file a joint return. Also, couples filing separately will lose out on a number of important tax breaks. Nonetheless, filing separate returns makes the most sense when one spouse owes a significant amount of money, but the other spouse could get a refund. It also makes sense when one spouse is cheating on their taxes, and the other spouse doesn't want to be involved.
Filing separate returns requires a great deal of cooperation and sharing. Both spouses must itemize or take the standard deduction. (They cannot split their tax strategies by one person itemizing and the other taking the standard deduction.) Also, there may be significant state tax issues if the couple lives in a community property state. In those nine states, spouses report their individual income on their federal return, but report half of their combined income on their state return. This makes filing separately a much more complicated process, and many couples seek out a tax professional to make sure all the returns are accurately prepared.
Because of these complexities, I sometimes advise couples who regularly file separate returns to get divorced. That way each spouse can file as single or perhaps head of household, and be placed in a more advantageous tax situation. That being said, couples rarely get married or divorced solely for tax reasons.
Throughout the tax season I will be answering one tax question per day. Do you have a question? Visit the Ask a Tax Question page. Disagree with my answers? Post your comments in the Tax Forum.
, hope it might help
Throughout the tax season I will be answering one tax question per day.
Today's question comes from H. Hester in Georgia. She asks, "If you are married, can you file your taxes separately?"
Yes, married couples can file their tax returns separately from each other. You do this by choosing the "married filing separately" filing status on Form 1040 (box 3 on page one of Form 1040). Each spouse will file his and her own Form 1040. Each will also report the other spouse's Social Security Number at the top of the form, and will write-in the spouse's name in the area next to box 3.
There are some very good reasons for wanting to file separately. I detail those reasons in my article on Choosing Your Filing Status.
In general, married couples will have a lower overall tax bill if they file a joint return. Also, couples filing separately will lose out on a number of important tax breaks. Nonetheless, filing separate returns makes the most sense when one spouse owes a significant amount of money, but the other spouse could get a refund. It also makes sense when one spouse is cheating on their taxes, and the other spouse doesn't want to be involved.
Filing separate returns requires a great deal of cooperation and sharing. Both spouses must itemize or take the standard deduction. (They cannot split their tax strategies by one person itemizing and the other taking the standard deduction.) Also, there may be significant state tax issues if the couple lives in a community property state. In those nine states, spouses report their individual income on their federal return, but report half of their combined income on their state return. This makes filing separately a much more complicated process, and many couples seek out a tax professional to make sure all the returns are accurately prepared.
Because of these complexities, I sometimes advise couples who regularly file separate returns to get divorced. That way each spouse can file as single or perhaps head of household, and be placed in a more advantageous tax situation. That being said, couples rarely get married or divorced solely for tax reasons.
Throughout the tax season I will be answering one tax question per day. Do you have a question? Visit the Ask a Tax Question page. Disagree with my answers? Post your comments in the Tax Forum.
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