Getting married changes many things for a couple including the way that they file their taxes. Taxpayers that get married should also know that it can also affect whether or not they receive a tax refund or if they owe a balance to the IRS.
Optima Tax Relief reviews a tax checklist that newly married couples should follow when filing their tax return.
Name and address changes
- Name. If there is a name change through marriage, it is important to notify the change to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Taxpayers should make sure that their name is an exact match to the name they gave to the SSA. If it doesn’t, this could cause a delay in any tax refund that they could receive.
- Address. If you have changed your address after getting married, make sure to notify both the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service. To inform the IRS of your new IRS change, taxpayers can fill out Form 8822, Change of Address which can be found on the IRS website should be filled out and sent back.
Withholding
- After getting married, couples should reassess their withholding status to ensure that they are withholding enough taxes. Newly married couples must give their employers a new Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance within 10 days. Couples that both work may be moved into a higher tax bracket depending on their income and may be affected by the additional Medicare tax.
Newly married couples should be sure to review any tax guidelines they will need to follow once married and prepare in advance for filing their taxes to determine whether or not they will receive a tax refund or owe a tax liability based on their new filing status and income.
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