If I got married December 3rd, 2016 do I HAVE to file as married or can I file as Single since I was Single for 11 months of the year??

[drbball6]

I am trying to figure out the best filing option for us.  Married and filing Jointly, we owe money. Married and filing seperately gives me a low federal return, owe state taxes, and can't deduct certain things like student loan interest.  And I figure since I was not married for 11 months of 2016, I should be able to get by filing as single.  That's how my exemptions are listed on my W-2

[rjs · Accepted solution]

You figure differently from the way the tax law figures. Your filing status is determined by your marital status on December 31, no matter how long you were married. Since you were married on December 31, your only choices for filing status are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

The status that you indicated on the W-4 form that you gave your employer, which may be shown on a statement attached to your W-2, does not affect the filing status on your tax return.