How to Determine Your Tax Filing Status

One of the first steps in doing your taxes is figuring out your filing status. Your filing status is directly related to your marital status and whether or not you have any children.
How to determine your tax filing status will walk you through the five different possible filing statuses offered by the IRS.
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The content of this page is intended for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional financial advice.
Contact the IRS or a professional financial advisor for the most up-to-date and complete information regarding state and federal tax law.

Filing Status for Tax Purposes

This video provides an overview of how to determine your tax filing status for your tax returns. Your status is determined as of December 31 of the tax year. If you are single on December 31 with no dependents, your status will be Single. If you having qualifying dependents and are single, you'll file as Head of Household. If you are married on December 31, regardless of when in the year you were married, you'll be filing as married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately.

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Introduction
- One of the first things you must determine in order to prepare your taxes is your filing status. Your filing status helps determine how large of a deduction you can take and what your taxable income for the year will be. ^[1] Needless to say, it's important to get it right. Your filing status is typically determined by your marital status on the last day of the year. ^[2] The following guide will walk you through the five different possible filing statuses.
What's Your Status?
- The IRS requires that you identify your tax status in one of the following five ways:
1. Single: If, on the last day of the tax year, you were unmarried or legally separated, your filing status is "single." ^[1]
2. Married Filing Jointly: You and your spouse report your incomes on one tax return. You are both required to sign the return. ^[2]
3. Married Filing Separately: If it reduces your tax bill, you and your spouse can file separately. You and your spouse are then each responsible for your own taxes. ^[3]
4. Head of Household: Head of Household is a special status, which entitles you to a lower tax rate. You may be able to file as "head of household" if you are single, paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home and have a "qualifying person" such as child living in your home for more than half the year. ^[4]
5. Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Child: This status may apply to you if your spouse died in either of the two preceding tax years and you have a dependent child. ^[5]
- Your filing status typically refers to your situation on the last day of the tax year. If you are having trouble figuring out your filing status, consult IRS Tax Topic: What Is Your Filing Status? (353) or Smart Money's "What's Your Filing Status?".
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