If I was just married in September, Do I have to file a joint tax return this year?

I would really like to maximize my refund but I dont know if that is legal.If I was just married in September, Do I have to file a joint tax return this year?
The IRS goes by your status as of DEC 31. So, if you were married in Sept 2007, then your 07 tax return can be either married filing joint or married filing separate. Joint is ALWAYS better.If I was just married in September, Do I have to file a joint tax return this year?
You can file either jointly or file married filing separately, as stated. However, Jointly is not ALWAYS better. A vast majority of the time it is better, but there are instances that is not applicable. When there is a very large difference in incomes, say he earns $14,000 a year and she earns $70,000, and other circumstances affect the tax rate. If one person is on Social Security Disability, filing separately could be best in some instances. You can prepare your taxes both ways if you have very different incomes or circumstances and see which way is best. Probably filing jointly, but not always.
Read your tax form. It will tell you how long. You always have the choice not to file as married.
jpr was right until the last part. Whether jointly or separately is better for you depends on the tax liability of both you and your spouse.


You could legally file either way. It is possible that you deserve a refund, while your spouse may owe. If you filed jointly, your refund would be reduced from the tax liability of your spouse. If you both get a refund, you can get a higher deduction filing jointly vs separately.
You can file as head of household to maximixe your return, especially if you have dependants, jointly you'll get minimal back
You could have been married Dec. 31st at 11:59PM and still file jointly. It goes by your status on the last day of the year. Same if you have a child on Dec. 31st - you still can claim 1 dependent.