Question

Which of the following statements regarding the married, filing jointly status is false?

a.If married persons file separately, they can change later to a joint return.
b.Once a joint return has been filed and the due date has passed for a particular year, the spouses cannot switch to separate returns for the year.
c.Marital status is determined as of the last day of the year when a spouse dies during the year.
d.Marital status is determined as of the last day of the tax year.
e.Filing a joint return carries the potential disadvantage of joint and several liability.

Answer 1

The false statement regarding the married, filing jointly status is option a. Once a joint return has been filed and the due date has passed for a particular year, the spouses cannot switch to separate returns for the year.

Step-by-step explanation:

The false statement regarding the married, filing jointly status is option a. If married persons file separately, they can change later to a joint return. Once a joint return has been filed and the due date has passed for a particular year, the spouses cannot switch to separate returns for the year.

The correct statement is that marital status is determined as of the last day of the tax year. Therefore, options c and d are true, as the marital status is determined based on the status as of the last day of the year, regardless of whether a spouse dies or not.

Option e is also true. Filing a joint return carries the potential disadvantage of joint and several liability, which means that both spouses are jointly responsible for any tax owed, even if only one spouse earned the income.