Posts Tagged ‘same sex’

This past June, in a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court found the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, declaring that that same-sex couples who are legally married in a state recognizing same sex marriage deserve equal rights to the benefits under federal law that go to all other married couples. This decision is widely seen as striking down DOMA in favor of marriage equality, but of course it’s more complex than that and the ramifications are now unfolding.

The latest major change as a result of the DOMA decision is that the IRS now will recognize same sex married partners as married regardless of the state in which they reside, thereby requiring that such couples file their federal income tax returns as either married filing jointly or married filing separately; they can no longer file separately as unmarried individuals (same as for heterosexual married couples). The IRS is also allowing such couples to file amended income tax returns for prior years in which they may have paid too much as a result of filing separately, but they do not have to file amended returns if doing so would result in higher taxes than they paid. This is indeed welcomed news for all such parties.

One wrinkle however is that such couples, if residing in a state which does not recognize same sex marriage after having been legally married in a state which does, may be required to file state income tax returns separately, a complication augmented by the fact that state income tax filing generally follows from federal. Still, overall this is a progressive move.

Another complication is that, while this key component of DOMA was overturned, another major component remains: Section 2 of DOMA declares that those states which do not recognized marriage equality (same sex marriage) do not have to recognize any same sex marriage from states which such marriage are legal. This not only informs the tax code as referenced above, but also can complicate divorce proceedings for same sex couple residing in a state which does not recognize same sex marriage. How so? If a couple is not recognized as legally married in a given state, then that state can deny that couple the right to divorce since, according to state law, they are not married to begin with. Furthermore, they cannot return to the state where they were married for the purpose of seeking a divorce since all states require residency for such proceedings. This would mean that such a couple would have to uproot themselves from their current state of residence and re-establish residency in the state in which they were married prior to seeking divorce.

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The information contained in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. The use of this Blog does not create an attorney/client relationship between you and the Law Offices of Barry R. Lewis. If you are considering divorce or if you are involved in any legal matter, you should hire an attorney.

Massachusetts Divorce and Family Law
Attorney Barry R. Lewis — Divorce Law Specialist
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