changing filing status for taxes?
My wife and I have been filing head of household for about 5 years. We have learned that this is a big no no. We are now about to file as married filing jointly. The problem is we are scared about previous years tax filings…i.e will the IRS come after us? If they do what can be the penalty beyond simply recalculating what how we should have filed. Also, how far back can they go. I believe its only 3 years, correct? Help…we’re scared!
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You can amend returns going back three years. THEY can go back at least seven years.
a few years ago I did exactly the opposite of you, went from filing jointly to head of household and the irs never said a word. they change had me going from owing to getting a refund. and i believe it’s 7 to 10 years they can go back to if they choose to audit you.
There are different channels that returns go through before they are processed and a refund is released. Usually this error is detected and corrected before it reaches the end of the pipeline. Ive had many returns in front of me where the filing status had to be changed because it was clear that the parties were married. A husband and wife clearly cannot claim head of household. They can only claim married filing jointly or seperately. Therefore; the system automatically cues you to pay attention to this error and correct it before it leaves your dept. However; if you are worried about it, you should call the 800 number to find out if the mistake was caught. If it hasnt, amend your return. You should be fine.