Video: What Is My Tax Filing Status?

ezAngel: I’m ezAngel and I’m here to assist you. What are your questions?

Sharon: I need to select a filing status, what’s that?

ezAngel: Your filing status is determined by your marital status on December 31st of a given year. Single is for individuals who are unmarried or legally separated.

Sharon: I’m single but I had a baby this year, does this change anything?

ezAngel: Well then, this year you can file as “Head of household”. It’s for people who are unmarried, have a dependent and pay more than half the cost of running a household. You’ll usually save more money than if you file “single”.

Aaron: I got married late last year. What filing status should I use?

ezAngel: You should choose Married Filing Jointly. It’s for married couples who agree to file a tax return together.

Aaron: What if I don’t want to file with my spouse?

ezAngel: Then you may have to file Married Filing Separately. You will usually pay more tax when filing as Married Filing Separately mostly because certain deductions are not available for this filing status.

Paul: My spouse and I hit a rough patch and have been living separately. What’s my status?

ezAngel: If you lived apart from your spouse for at least the last six months of the tax year, have a dependent and pay more than half the cost of running a household then you can file Head of Household. Otherwise, you’ll need to file Married Filing Separately if you don't want to file as Married Filing Jointly with your spouse.

Briana: I was married but my spouse passed away this year. What filing status should I choose?

ezAngel: You can still file Married Filing Jointly if your spouse died during the tax year. You may file Qualifying Surviving Spouse for two years after your spouse’s death if raising dependent children.

Tax Angels don’t exist but ezTaxReturn.com has a tool that can help you choose the right filing status.