Married Filing Jointly | If you are married, you are able to file a joint return with your spouse. If your spouse died during the tax year, you are still able to file a joint return for that year. You may also choose to file separately under the status "Married Filing Separately". |
---|---|
Qualified Widow(er) | Generally, you qualify for this status for two years after the year of your spouse's death, as long as you and your spouse filed a joint tax return in the year immediately prior to their death. You are also required to have at least one dependent child or stepchild for whom you are the primary provider. |
Single | Use this filing status if you don't qualify for any other filing status. Generally, if you are divorced, legally separated or unmarried as of the last day of the year you should use this status. |
Head of Household | This is the status for unmarried individuals that pay for more than half of the cost to keep up a home. This home needs to be the main home for the income tax filer and at least one qualifying relative. You can also choose this status if you are married, but didn't live with your spouse at any time during the last six months of the year. You also need to provide more than half of the cost to keep up your home and have at least one dependent child living with you. |
Married Filing Separately | If you are married, you have the choice to file separate returns. The filing status for this option is "Married Filing Separately". |