Filing status is one of the most important tax concepts to understand. Gone are the days when the majority of our client couples who come into the office are married filing jointly. Couples today could be living together and not married, they could be divorced or going through a divorce, or they could be same-sex married couples. Whether your clients have children also affects their filing status. By asking the right questions, you will be able to determine the right filing status for your clients and get the lowest legal tax liability for them.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the five filing statuses and the drawbacks and benefits of filing married separately
• Recognize how filing status and dependency exemptions are impacted by children of divorced parents, qualifying children of more than one parent, and multiple support agreements
• Identify the tax credits and deductions that are available for various single-parent situations
• Recall the impact of Supreme Court rulings on the filing status of same-sex married couples