What Filing Status Should I Choose?

Your filing status determines:

• Filing requirements
• Standard deduction amount
•  Eligibility for certain credits
• Your tax liability

Available filing statuses:

1. Single
2. Married Filing Jointly
3. Married Filing Separately
4. Head of Household
5. Qualifying Surviving Spouse

🟦 FILING STATUS DEFINITIONS

👤 Single

You are Single on the last day of the tax year if:

• You were never married, OR
• You were legally divorced by December 31 of the tax year, OR
• You were widowed before January 1 of the filing year and did not remarry

⚠ Note:
If you are legally separated but not divorced, the IRS still considers you married, and you cannot file as Single.

💑 Married Filing Jointly (MFJ)

Spouses combine income, deductions, and credits into one return. This status often results in:

• Lower tax liability
• A higher standard deduction
• Access to more tax benefits

You may file jointly if:

• You were married at the end of the year (even if not living together)
• Your spouse died during the year, and you did not remarry
• You married during the tax year and your spouse died the following year

💳 Married Filing Separately (MFS)

You may choose this status if:

• You want to be responsible only for your own tax, OR
• It results in a lower tax liability, OR
• You and your spouse do not want to file jointly

❗ Important Rules

If one spouse itemizes, the other must also itemize.

MFS filers cannot claim:

• Student Loan Interest Deduction
• Education Credits
• Earned Income Credit

You must be:

• Married at the end of the year and filing your own return
• Itemizing if your spouse itemizes

🏠 Head of Household (HOH)

You qualify if:

You are unmarried OR considered unmarried and meet all of the following:

✔ Provided more than 50% of support for a qualifying person
✔ Paid more than half the cost of keeping up a home
✔ The home was the main residence of the qualifying person

You may be considered “unmarried” if:

• You lived apart from your spouse for the last 6 months of the year
• You were legally separated by state law
• BUT: If your divorce is not final (interlocutory decree), you are considered married

👩‍👦 Qualifying Surviving Spouse (QSS)

You may use this status for two tax years after the year your spouse died if:

• Your spouse died within the two years before the tax year you’re filing
• You did not remarry
• You have a child or stepchild you can claim
• The child lived with you all year
• You paid over half the cost of maintaining the home
• You were eligible to file MFJ in the year your spouse died

🔄 HOW TO REMOVE A SPOUSE OR CHANGE THE PRIMARY TAXPAYER

When filing status is MFJ or MFS, the system locks certain fields—especially primary taxpayer information.
To unlock these fields, you must temporarily switch filing status to Single.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Instructions

1.Change the filing status

This unlocks spouse and primary taxpayer fields.

1. Navigate to Filing Status
2. Select Single
3. Save changes

💡 Required step — this resets spouse fields so you can edit the return.

2.Change the Primary Taxpayer

If you need to switch the taxpayer order:

1. With filing status still set to Single, open Personal Information
2. Enter the correct primary taxpayer details
3. Save

After correcting the primary taxpayer, you may later re‑add the spouse (if applicable).

3.Update Taxpayer Information

Double‑check:

• SSN/ITIN
• Legal name
• Date of birth
• Contact information
• IP PIN (if required)

✔ Ensure primary taxpayer SSN is correct before selecting the final filing status.

4.Select the Correct Final Filing Status

1. Go back to Filing Status
2. Choose:
   • Single
   • MFJ
   • MFS
   • HOH
   • QSS
3. If filing jointly or separately, re‑enter spouse information
4. Save and review

❓ Not Sure Which Filing Status to Use?

Use the IRS Interactive Tool:
🔗 “What Is My Filing Status?”

This takes about 5 minutes and gives an answer based on your responses.