New York Family Law Blog
Most people can just visit a tax consultant or fire up a computer to easily figure out their taxes. Married same-sex couples in California don’t have it quite that easy. Such marriages aren’t recognized by the federal government, which makes legal issues regarding them murky, to stay the least.
“So many people don’t know what the new federal tax requirements are and they affect 2010,” a tax attorney stated.
The tax attorney noted that, for the first time, registered same-sex couples in California must have a combined income on federal tax returns. This means if one partner makes $25,000 and the other $45,000, for a total of $70,000, they each have to file as if they made $35,000. The federal government does not recognize their marriage, so they have to each file $35,000 on separate federal returns.