Mid-Year Divorce / Tax Withholdings

[dawsonk]

I was divorced in early June 2017 and have a question regarding taxes. I paid Married January-June at Work and Filed as Single from July-December. Will I now have to pay back the difference of the "Single Rate" vs. "Married" for January-June?

[DJS · Accepted solution]

Since you divorced during the year your filing status for the year will be single and you may therefore have underpaid withholding from your salary. That could leave you with a underpayment penalty when you pay your taxes, but you can avoid this by paying an additional amount now. There are a number of ways to pay, including making a 4th quarter estimated tax payment. 

Have a look at the following: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/ways-to-pay-your-tax-bill to see the various ways you can pay now to avoid the underpayment penalty. You may, however, still be subject to a late payment penalty.