After celebrating a wedding with friends and family, and enjoying the honeymoon, no couple turns to each other and says “let’s find a tax evasion lawyer.” Unfortunately, a lack of understanding about how marriage changes your tax status could wind up with felony charges and even prison time. The best way to make sure that you’re never accused of this crime is to avoid making these common tax mistakes as newlyweds.

Filing As “Single”

If someone were to walk up to a newlywed at a restaurant and ask if they were single, they’d obviously say ‘no.’ Which makes it odd that so many newlyweds answer this question incorrectly on their tax return. There are only two tax classifications for a married person, Married Filing Jointly and Married Filing Separately. Choosing single will only cause the IRS to be suspicious of tax evasion.

Waiting To Change A Last Name

For those married individuals who choose to change their name, the time to take action is sooner rather than later. Many newlyweds fail to realize that the Social Security Administration must alert the IRS to the name change before they’ll be allowed to file.

Not Reviewing Past Returns

Same-sex couples who were legally married prior to 2013 would be well-advised to review their old returns as a tax professional. That was the year the federal government decided to allow these couples to file as married. If this applies to you, you could be entitled to extra refunds.

If you’re a new couple that feels they may have made a mistake with their taxes, feel free to contact our tax evasion lawyers to see if they can help!