If you don’t live with your spouse, you can still file a joint return as long as your marital situation fulfills the tax definition of married, and your spouse agrees to file jointly. There is no requirement that married couples must live in the same residence.

What does single filing jointly mean?

What Is Married Filing Jointly? Married filing jointly refers to a filing status for married couples that have wed before the end of the tax year. When filing taxes under married filing jointly status, a married couple can record their respective incomes, deductions, credits, and exemptions on the same tax return.

Which is better filing jointly or filing separately?

To put it more clearly, filing separately will mean you are only responsible for what you put on your return. Filing separately may be more beneficial in a few other scenarios as well. For instance, if one spouse is trying to qualify for certain credits, or tax deductions, that would be unavailable if filing jointly.

Do you have to file your taxes jointly if you are an expat?

Additionally – due to the expat benefit of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, and the deductions/exemptions, you will most likely owe no taxes and therefore don’t require the extra benefits of Married Filing Jointly. Just keep in mind, that since you and your non-U.S. partner are married – you are not allowed to file as Single!

Can you file jointly or separately as an American abroad?

If it is all true for you, the next step is to just file as Married Filing Separately as an American abroad or Head of Household (if you have qualifying dependents and keep up more than half of the costs of your home).

Are there state and local tax deductions for single people?

Similarly, for those in high-tax states, the State and Local Tax cap is $10,000 whether you are married or single. Two single people would each be allowed to deduct $10,000 of state and local taxes, double what they could deduct once married. It is not all bad news for married couples. There are tax bonuses as well.