What's My Tax Filing Status?

Not sure how that end-of-the-year wedding affects your tax filing status now?

These tips can help you figure out which status option to select on your taxes, whether you're married, single or separated.

The Interactive Tax Assistant on the Internal Revenue Service website also will guide you through a series of questions to help you figure out what to do.

• Whatever your marital status is on the last day of the year determines your marital status for the entire year. Got married on Christmas? That makes you married for the entire year in the eyes of the IRS.
• If you qualify for more than one filing status, you are free to choose the one that gives you the lowest tax obligation.
• Single filing status is usually for individuals who are unmarried, divorced or legally separated according to state law.
• Married couples can file joint returns—Married Filing Jointly—or separate returns—Married Filing Separately. There are pros and cons to both options so you may want to consult a tax professional to help you choose.
• If your spouse died in 2010 and you didn't get married again before the end of the year, usually you may still file a joint return with that spouse for the year of death.
• Head of Household typically applies to taxpayers who are unmarried and pay more than half the cost of maintaining a home for themselves and a qualifying person.
• You may be eligible for Qualifying Widow(er) with Dependent Child as your filing status if your spouse died during 2008 or 2009, you have a dependent child and you meet certain other conditions.

For more on filing status, see Publication 501 on the IRS website.