Recent divorce

[Ranchlady]

Our California divorce was final Oct. 3, 2024. We would like to file a joint return for 2024 state and federal tax. We have no dependents. We have always filed joint returns. My ex husband retired 12/21/23 and has no W2 income for 2024. Our income includes Social Security, my pension, and stock dividends that are paid to our family trust. So can we file a joint return for 2024?

[DoninGA]

If you are not legally married as of 12/31/2024 then you cannot file your 2024 tax return as Married Filing Jointly.  You can only file as Single unless you have a qualifying child as a dependent then you can file as Head of Household if you meet the other requirements.

See this TurboTax support FAQ for Head of Household - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-filing-status/qualify-head-household...