Do not treat income and related
deductions from a trade or business that are not a partnership as community
income that must be split between the spouses.Do
not treat income or loss from a trade or business carried on by a
partnership as community income.Social
Security and equivalent railroad retirement benefits are never treated as
community income that must be split between the spouses.
In some states, income earned after separation but before
a decree of divorce continues to be community income.
The marital community may end in several ways. When the
marital community ends, the community assets (money and property) are
divided between the spouses.
In some cases, your combined income tax on separate tax
returns may be less that it would be on a joint tax return. If your filing status is married filing separately,
you should itemize deductions if your spouse itemizes deductions, because
you cannot claim the standard deduction. Also, you cannot exclude any
interest income from qualified U.S. savings bonds that you used for higher
education expenses if your filing status is married filing separately. There
are many limitation for taxpayers who file separately. For instance, you may
have to include in income more of any social security benefits which you
receive during the year if you file separate than you would if you file a
joint tax return.
For 2015, the standard mileage rate for the cost of
operating a car, van, pickup, or truck for each business mile is 57.5
cents per mile.
If you have a same-sex spouse whom you legally married in
a state (or foreign country) that recognizes same-sex marriage, you and
your same-sex spouse generally must use the married filing jointly or
married filing separate filing status on the 2014 tax return.
Beginning in 2014, a 0.9% additional Medicare tax
applies to Medicare wages, railroad retirement (RRTA) compensation and
self-employment income that are more than $125,000 if married filing
separately, $250,000 if married filing jointly, or $200,000 for any
other filing status.
Beginning in 2013, you may be subject to Net Investment
Income Tax (NIIT). The NIIT is 3.8% of the smaller of your net
investment income or the excess of your modified adjusted gross income over
$125,000 if you are married filing separate or qualifying widow(er) or
$200,000 if you use any other filing status.
All spousal IRAs have been renamed Kay Bailey Hutchison
Spousal IRAs.
You can deduct the part of your medical and dental
expenses that is more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income if either
you or your spouse is age 65 or older.
You cannot have more than $2,500 in salary reduction
contributions made to a health FSA for plan years beginning after 2013.
You can no longer claim the plug-in electric vehicle credit
or the refundable part of the credit for prior year minimum tax on your 2013
or 2014 tax
return.
