Will you forgive us if we interrupt your holiday cheer with a reminder that tax season is right around the corner? Ugh.
And while we may be quickly winning the freedom to marry, one state at a time, we’re still a long way away from tax equality. The patchwork of laws, hasty IRS revisions and general cultural newness of marriage are all conspiring to make taxes a kind of pain that straight people will never experience.
Helpfully, though, TurboTax is doing their best to guide you through the process. One of the most difficult parts of LGBT taxation is figuring out if you should revise your back-taxes and re-file as married. It’s a lot of work, but revising old tax returns could mean significant savings for some couples. And now, TurboTax just announced a new “lookback” tool that lets you examine your past returns and decide whether they need a re-do.
If you were married in 2010, 2011 or 2012 but filed as a single person (because you had to), TurboTax will collect a few data points and show you the return you would’ve gotten if you’d filed as married. If it’s a big difference, TurboTax would also be delighted to sell you tax products to help you re-file.
And starting this year, married LGBT couples are actually required to file as married. So at last we can tell the world the truth about who we are! And also maybe collect a check from the government, thank you very much.
twoguysbrooklyn
I am having a lot of trouble getting my employer to revise my w-2’s for 2010, 2011, and 2012. Will the IRS accept a refile without a revised w-2 from my employer?? Anyone know?
JDJase
@twoguysbrooklyn: Why would you need revised w-2s? Refiling your tax returns as married for those years has zero impact on what your w-2s for those years said. The w-2s merely report what your employer paid you and how much they withheld from your check — that information is a done deal, no way of changing it. Revised w-2s are only issued if your name, social security number, or any dollar amounts are incorrect.
Xwards
Our accountant told us that we’d be getting a $2,500 refund for 2012 federal taxes…..who knows what 2010 and 2011 will bring!
unclemike
I might need a consult this year. My husband and I got married in 2012, but he still lives in Hong Kong, waiting for his visa application to get approved. Do I still file as married?
twoguysbrooklyn
@JDJase. Ah, I wasn’t clear enough. I covered my hubby as a DP for those years so I paid imputed income on the value of his benefits and the payroll deductions taken for his coverage were post-tax. All that should be reveresed.
The imputed income alone was $5,500 to $6,000 a year which was added to my gross and taxed. I should get those taxes back.
Will L
Don’t even try to push TurboTax at anyone. The software sucks. I used it twice (thinking the first time was a fluke). It’s a major pain and just crappy. H&R Block is much better if you use electronic tax software. I’m pretty sure that if this change is in the tax laws, TurboTax isn’t the only one implementing the change. Go with H&R Block.