Tax Tip: New Federal Tax Rules for Same-Sex Couples
Published at | Updated at
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The federal tax law has changed to benefit same-sex married couples.
“Same-sex couples can now file jointly — and let me say they must file jointly or they have to file as married filing separately. So no longer is single an option,” tax accountant Janice Hayman explains.
This will save most same-sex married couples money on their returns.
“It doesn’t matter whether they live anymore in a jurisdiction that recognizes their marriages. The key is if they got married in a state or jurisdiction or a foreign country that recognizes same-sex marriages,” notes Eric Smith of the Internal Revenue Service.
As for the years before 2013?
“They are allowed to go back and amend if they were married in 2011 let’s say” or 2012, Hayman tells ABC News Radio.
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio