My boyfriend and I filed together last year and planning to file again this year. Can we still file together but without me being in town to sign?

[happy702915]

We are in the process of moving and I will be leaving first to get everything situated

[macuser_22]

Are you saying that in the past that you filed a Joint (Married Filing Jointly) return even though you were not married and are planing on doing it again?   Unless I misunderstand your question that would be tax fraud or invalid.

[happy702915]

I don't see why, if it worked out just fine last year with no problem.

[SweetieJean]

Why?  Because it is illegal.

[macuser_22]

If you don't mind committing a federal felony (tax fraud) then that is your call.    Every year some folks go to jail for tax fraud.

[happy702915]

Hahaha okay if you say so 🙂

[SweetieJean]

This is no laughing matter, although you may think you think so.
In any evert, two Single filers usually do better taxwise than filing Joint.

[happy702915]

We still did just great. I know a lot of people who file together without being married but have been living together for years... They're doing just as great as well. I understand and appreciate your help truly.

[SweetieJean]

"Just as great" simply means they haven't been caught yet. And what happens when that "great" relaitonship falls apart?
But I think we've said about all we can on this subject.

[TaxGuyBill]

I just want to add one more thought:  In the event that you live in a State that recognizes Common Law Marriage, it might be legal (depending on if you qualify for that State's definition of Common Law Marriage).  However, that would ALSO mean that he his not your boyfriend; he is now your husband.  Filing as Married means you would now be legally married to each other.  The only way to be un-married would be to legally file for a divorce.

[TomD8]

To add another voice to the choir:

Filing a fraudulent return can result in fines up to $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a corporation and up to 3 years in jail along with the cost of prosecution for high dollar tax fraud. For lower dollar tax fraud you can face penalties of as much as $5000.00 or 100% of the unpaid tax.

If a hired tax preparer commits fraud with your tax return, the IRS holds you responsible for additional taxes, interest and penalties -- even if you did not know the tax preparer committed fraud.

Claiming your filing status as Married when you are in fact Single means that you are filing a fraudulent return each year that you do that.

You are betting that the IRS won't catch you.  If they do, you'll probably wish they hadn't.

[rjs]

Do you mean that you filed a joint return - one tax return for both of you? You can't do that if you're not married, whether you're both in town or not. If you're not married, you have to each file your own separate tax return. Most likely the filing status will be single for both of you.

If you filed as married filing jointly last year, you will need help from a tax professional to fix it. Normally you cannot amend from married filing jointly to separate returns after the due date of the return (April 15). There is an exception if you filed as married filing jointly when you were not married. What you did is called an "invalid joint election." You can file amended returns to correct it, but the rules for doing so, and the information you have to provide, are very complicated. You need a highly trained, experienced tax professional to handle it for you.

[happy702915]

I appreciate your help 🙂 but it worked out just fine. We filed together with no problem whatsoever. We've been living together and the lady who helped with our taxes said it was perfectly fine to file together.

[SweetieJean]

The lady was wrong.  What you did was illegal.  And TT is not licensed for use by paid tax preparers.

[SweetieJean]

And the Lady assisted in a fraud.