Divorced, separated or widowed in 2024? How it will affect your tax return
Divorced, separated or widowed in 2024? How it will affect your tax return
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Tax Day is coming up on April 15 — what to know about filing
Tax Day is coming up on April 15. Here are some tips for making the process as smooth as possible.
Many factors and life changes can affect your tax returns, and experts say becoming newly single is one of the most significant.
If you were widowed, separated, or got divorced from your spouse in 2024, it's likely going to affect your tax return and refund. Though everyone's circumstances are different, experts advise it's usually a good time to sit down with a financial planner or tax professional, especially if dependents and shared assets are involved.
'The details matter. Keeping the records matter,' said Jackson Hewitt's senior vice president and chief tax officer Mark Steber. 'Dealing with a tax pro matters.'
From a change in filing status to how to plan for next year, here are experts' tips for newly single taxpayers:
More: What is the average tax refund? Why yours might be lower or higher
Determine your new filing status
If you're newly single, you're likely used to filing married jointly or filing married separately.
Remember this date - Dec. 31, 2024. That's the date that matters. If you were legally married when the new year hit, your status options remain the same. However, if you were legally divorced or separated before 2025 hit, even if the paperwork was processed in December, they'll be different.
You now have two options: filing single or as a head of household. The single filing status applies to anyone who is unmarried, divorced, or legally separated. But if you have children or dependents, you may want to file as a head of household. To file with this status, you'll need to prove you paid more than half of your living expenses for yourself and a qualifying dependent in 2024.
'If you have an eligible child in the home, filing as head of household is going to be more advantageous,' said Andy Phillips, vice president of the Tax Institute at H&R Block. 'Larger standard deduction, better tax rates, things like that.'
If your spouse died during 2024, you can still file a married joint tax return in 2025. If your spouse died during the past two years and you have a dependent child, you can file as a qualifying surviving spouse.
Figure out who claims dependents and credits
For the best outcome, experts said it's ideal if exes work together to determine who will claim dependents and related credits on their tax return. In some cases, parents can split tax benefits using the custodial parent form 8342, but it's more common for one to claim them.
This decision is often determined and spelled out in a divorce or separation agreement. If it is not, and exes cannot come to an agreement on their own, the IRS will have three questions for them to answer.
'The IRS got tired of being the negotiator in all of this and they now have a three-point test,' Steber said. 'It's pretty simple.'
If the dependent is related to you, lived with you for more than half the year, and you provided more than 50% of their financial support, you'll get to claim them on your tax return.
Plan for next year
Phillips said one of the biggest mistakes people make when filing their taxes is not taking it as an opportunity to look forward and plan for the next year.
'If you put those tax documents away and move on, you're not going to come back to it,' he said.
Steber agreed, adding that especially if you are going through a major life change, 'you don't want to just assume it's all going to work out' next Tax Day.
If you're newly single, you'll want to ensure you are withholding enough to avoid owing the IRS next year. If you can afford it, you may decide to withhold an extra hundred dollars each pay period and sort it out later, Steber said. But he suggested having a tax professional run a tax projection which will help you know what to expect in 2026 and make changes accordingly.
Reach Rachel Barber at rbarber@usatoday.com and follow her on X @rachelbarber_
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