I got divorced in the middle of the tax year (filing as single) and now I owe back-taxes on income I made while married at a job I no longer work. Why? My W4 was correct.

[ghost_kitten]

I have two W2's, one from being married and one while not. Both allowances are correct for their specific status. Why do I owe money? If I input them separately, I get a refund...

[MinhT]

As you are divorced on the last day of 2016, you have to file as Single and report all income for the full year. And you are taxed as a single person on the income for the whole year.

Tax rates are higher for single persons than for couples filing jointly at comparable income levels.

As your federal withholdings in the earlier part of the year were based on the Married tax table, they were not sufficient to cover your taxes at the Single rate. This is why you end up owing tax for the year.

Please see this document on tax rates for more information:

https://www.irs.com/articles/2016-federal-tax-rates-personal-exemptions-and-standard-deductions

[ghost_kitten]

Hmm... I guess everyone should plan a "Just in case my spouse randomly divorces me more than halfway through the year" backup cache of money.
Thanks for the answer.