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Tax Time Complicated for Same-Sex Couples

As Tax Day approaches, Intuit's John Caldwell walks through the process of filing for same-sex couples.


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Over the last decade, a growing number of statewide laws have brought equality and protection to the lives of gay and lesbian couples. But every year the taxman brings an unavoidable reminder of the inequities that still remain.

While couples in same-sex marriages, civil unions, and Registered Domestic Partnerships have benefited from equality in tax laws at the state level, their relationships are in no way recognized by the federal government. That means they must pay federal taxes on things like employer-sponsored benefits provided to a partner. And for those who live in states where their relationships are recognized, the already complicated task of filing taxes has become convoluted.

Nine states now require same-sex couples who have legally joined as partners to file their state tax returns “as married.” But because of the federal government’s continued discrimination, same-sex couples in those states still have to file their federal returns individually, not as a couple. That means three federal tax returns must be prepared: a single federal return for partner one; a single federal return for partner two; and a pro forma, or “dummy,” married federal return to be filed only with the state. This allows the numbers on the state tax return to come out right.

Which states are involved? Massachusetts, Vermont, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Connecticut all provide marriage equality to same-sex couples. California, Oregon, and the District of Columbia have Registered Domestic Partnerships, and New Jersey provides civil unions. Same-sex couples married in California between June 16, 2008 and Nov. 4, 2008—the time between a pro-marriage court ruling and a repeal by voters—also must file “as married.”

For many couples, this complicated tax filing situation adds to the sting of not being included in the rights of marriage. Not only do they pay the same taxes without getting the same benefits, they often have to pay extra to prepare more than one federal tax return.

If you’re in this situation and you’ve gone to an accountant in the past, you may want to consider using tax software. TurboTax has developed a solution for same-sex couples. If you use a desktop version of TurboTax (from CD or download), you can file up to five federal returns and one state return for one price. While it takes a bit more time to prepare your returns than straight married couples, you’re paying the same as them.

And TurboTax walks you through the filing process. If you say you live in New Jersey, for example, you’ll get the option of selecting “civil union” as your martial status. The next thing you’ll see is a step-by-step guide to filing your returns followed by a customized interview experience that keeps you on track. The desktop products also allow you to save a return under a new file name so you don’t have to re-enter all the information in your dummy federal return.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Dave
    Date posted: 2/12/2011 8:19:20 PM
    Hometown: Washington, DC

    Comment:

    It's ironic that Inuit advertises that it allows same-sex couples to file jointly, because it doesn't, at least on the 2010 Mac Premier edition that I'm using. No-one has updated the software to reflect that New Hampshire, Vermont, or DC have legalized gay marriage in the last 2 years, so now I can't file my taxes, and I wasted an afternoon trying to convince customer service that I'm not an idiot. I think this is a programming bug rather than intentional discrimination, but it's definitely annoying.

  • Name: Jeff
    Date posted: 4/14/2010 2:23:50 PM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    With liberty and justice for some. Equality, blah blah blah. I'm paying more in taxes than my straight married counterparts because my employer offers him heath benefits. While it's a benefit from my employer, I'm penalized by the Fed. F*ck you, Fed. F*ck you!



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