Tag: couples

Taxes for Married Couples in Businesses

Married couples who also operate a business together live a complex life. Commingling personal and business, experiencing 100% togetherness, is tough enough. Throwing taxes into the mix could be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back and busts that togetherness apart. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

By default, according to the IRS, two or more individuals in business together without incorporating operate as a partnership. Partnerships are a complicated way to operate from a tax perspective. Partnerships file a separate income tax return, and each partner receives a Form K-1 to report for her or his pro-rata share of income and expenses, used to prepare the partner’s individual income tax return. Partners must also track the basis of partnership interest and any loans to or from the partnership, which impacts how distributions are taxed.

Married couples can get an exception to all those partnership complexities, if each spouse is an owner and materially participates in operating a business that is not formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Instead of a partnership, spouses can elect to treat the business as a joint venture. The joint venture election breaks down to four simple steps:

  • Make the Qualified Joint Venture Election by filing a joint individual tax return. Spouses must consider profits and losses based on spouse’s interest and level of material participation in the business. Once the election is made, if the spouses receive an IRS notice asking for a partnership tax return, they should call or write to the IRS advising them of the qualified joint venture election.
  • Divide Profit and Loss between Spouses by dividing all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit between them in accordance with each spouse’s level of material participation in the joint venture. The percentage allocation should be consistent for all items and reflect the relative percentage of participation. Allocations should be documented and updated for any changes in participation.
  • File Two Separate Business Schedules on the spouses’ individual income tax return. Each business schedule (i.e., IRS Schedule C or Schedule F) should be prepared with each spouse’s allocated share of income and expenses. The net profit or loss for the business schedules for each spouse is combined and reported on Form 1040, Schedule 1, Line 3. Net combined profit or loss is included in overall total income.
  • Report Net Profit as Self-Employment Income so each spouse’s earning from self-employment are credited and the applicable self-employment taxes are paid. Spouses who elect qualified joint venture status are treated as sole proprietors for federal tax purposes. A separate Schedule SE to report self-employment tax must be filed for each spouse to accurately report the net self-employment income.

Need more details about simplifying tax complexities when you are running a business as a married couple? The IRS has it for you here – https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/election-for-married-couples-unincorporated-businesses.

Taxes are Part of Getting Married

Taxes are not romantic, even to me. However, taxes are part of getting married. A conversation about income taxes should be part of every engaged couples’ wedding plans. Marriage, like many other life events, impacts how a person’s income taxes are filed. 

Before marriage, taxes are usually filed under the “single” filing status. After those wedding bells chime and the “I Dos” are said, each spouse’s income tax filing status changes to “married.” Engaged couples who are newly married, or about to get married, should be aware of these four points before filing their next income tax return:

  • Taxpayers are required to file income tax returns based on their marital status on December 31st, the last day of the tax year. Couples who get married on New Year’s Eve are considered married for the entire year for tax purposes.
  • Married couples can select the “married filing jointly” (MFJ) or “married filing separately” (MFS) filing status, depending on which option means a lower tax bill. Couples can assess their tax situation annually to select the filing status that results in the lower overall tax liability.
  • Filing MFJ or MFS is a choice. However, it’s important to be aware that different tax rules apply for couples selecting the MFS option. Examples include rules related to itemized deductions, the standard deduction, the capital loss limit, and some refundable and non-refundable tax credits.
  • To plan for filing next year’s income tax return, couples can refer to information from their prior-year tax returns to help determine whether using the MFJ or MFS filing status might result in a lower overall tax liability. Hint – MFJ often results in a lower overall income tax bill.

Newly-married couples can reduce tax stress by learning about how the filing status rules apply to them before filing their next income tax return. Want to know more? Check out the IRS’ webpage with the details about income tax filing status and links to more information https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/correct-filing-status. 

Taxes aren’t romantic, but they are part of getting married. And the IRS has the perfect wedding gift, a helpful checklist for newly married couples – https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/a-tax-checklist-for-newly-married-couples. No thank you note required.