Just Married? Let’s make sure you pay as little tax as possible.

One thing people don’t realize is that when you get married, you’re in for quite a bit of tax management and planning work, whether you like it or not.

Some common mistakes we see often are:

• Filing jointly when you are actually better off filing separately. Of course, it is impossible to know 100% which option is better unless you complete your tax returns both ways (separate as well as joint) then compare the results. This can be quite a bit of work, however, it is quite beneficial to test this before filing so you make an informed decision 
• Filing separtely when you should be filing jointly – this is the same concept as above. There are situations were you are heavily overpaying taxes by doing this. It is impossible to tell which version is best until you complete the returns both ways & compare 
• Getting married toward the end of a high income year – if you are expecting a big payout in 2021 and you are flexible about your marriage date, it may make sense to consult wiht a tax professional (like us) to determine if delaying by a few months can be beneficial 
• Filing jointly with a non-US spouse – this can cause complex compliance requirements, especially if the non-US partner has extensive assets or income from outside of the US
• Filing jointly with a spouse that has prior tax issues – this can cause a situation where the IRS begins to hold you liable for your parnter’s tax problems 

Not sure if this applies to you? Contact us below and we’ll get back to you ASAP.