Gay Marriage Increases Federal Tax Headaches

Federal Tax Headaches

Federal Tax Headaches

The advent of a new era in our nation’s history brings with it more than gay marriage acceptance; we are witnessing the dawn of a new era of federal tax headaches.  Tax law for same-sex married couples is more complicated than that of their heterosexual counterparts, creating a need for consultation that was not needed before marriage.  Couples in this situation may find taking their taxes to an institution to be beneficial, especially considering many of them offer free federal tax filing.

Due to the 1996 Defense of Marriage ACT (DOMA), same sex marriages cannot be recognized at a federal level despite the fact that at a state level the tax rules differ quite a bit.  Gay marriage is not recognized federal tax forms so gay and lesbian spouses cannot file their taxes jointly.  Ken Weissenberg, a partner at EisnerAmper in New York says, “The nightmare of compliance is difficult and the cost of compliance will be at least double, and I think you face a greater risk of audit.”

Gay marriage tax-time difficulties affect more than 130,000 couples around the country.  The process changes depending on many factors, including wealth and whether or not there are children. Couples may want to consider taking advantage of the free federal tax filing offers from various companies.  They can then be sure of professional, accurate filing, with the greatest returns.