Question

Do I considered married in 2020 or 2019 by IRS?

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
April 18, 2022
1 reply
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We got married on a destination wedding abroad in December 2019 (Spouse is NRA) and the local marriage process is a little bit different than the US. Long story short, locally, the marriage is only considered "legal" after the certificate is issued in January 2020 even though it was stated in the certificate that the wedding was done in December 2019.

According to the Tax Experts here, do I considered married in 2019 or 2020 by IRS?

I ended up filing single for 2019 since I wasn't sure if I can can claim married yet.

If I'm considered married in 2019, am I in trouble for filing single?

Can I amend my taxes into MFS or MFJ?

Appreciate all of your help.

Have a blessed day!

M

Mike9241

According to the U.S. Department of State, marriages performed abroad are locally valid marriages, provided that they comply with all applicable laws of the foreign city, state, and country where they take place.

since this apparently doesn't happen until the certificate is issued, one would think you were single in 2019.

however, the best place to check is the US embassy in the foreign country.