Can the government hold my tax return since my fiance has a defaulted student loan?

[kalebrance85]

Last year my fiance and I filed with me as head of household and her a a dependent since she has no income and our refund was not affected. This year we wanted to file jointly but I don't know if the government will take our return to settle her debt.

Should we file jointly or not?

And is there still a risk even when I file with her as a dependent?

[Carl]

IF you were not married on or before Dec 31 of the tax year, filing a joint return is not an available option to either of you. If you are not filing joint (you're not, since you don't qualify) you have nothing to be concerned about.