Married Filing Jointly Standard Deduction

 Whenever someone has an anniversary or a birthday, jokes are usually told. These occasions are milestones and are often used to lighten the mood of a party. Good jokes, while being in jest at those at the receiving end, should not inflict any sort of pain on the person. Instead, they should be funny and give a sense of warmth to the person who is receiving them. 

Anniversary jokes usually are quick; one liners that often imply that the man or woman endured some sort of torture during the married years. This is not true and most of those hearing the jokes will know that it is not true as the couple is still married and enjoying their anniversary. Anniversary jokes should be told with good taste and all who listen to the jokes should understand that they are in jest and not to be taken seriously. In an age where more than half of couples end up getting divorced, anniversary jokes are a paradox. Someone may boast of being in prison for this amount of time or being held hostage for so long, but they are really just a way that many people, self conscious about their true feelings, let their feelings be known.  They are not harmful.  

Age jokes are pretty much the same thing. Many people go through great lengths to tell age jokes at birthdays and there are even greeting cards that jest about the age of a person. Some people will give parties to celebrate milestones and have fake tombstones or black decorations to indicate that the person is getting older. Some age jokes are all about the age of a person and their inability to do the things that they did when they were younger. When you tell age jokes, however, you should be mindful to the person to whom you are telling the joke. Some people are very sensitive about their age and may take offense. For the most part, however, most people take age jokes in good stride. The perfect comeback to these jokes is that the birthday beats the grimmer alternative, which is death. 

Most people enjoy a good joke, even if it is at their own expense. As a matter of fact, most people enjoy jokes at their expense even more than standard jokes, as long as they are told in the right way and are not meant to hurt their feelings. Anyone who knows someone who is celebrating a birthday or anniversary can get anniversary jokes or age jokes by going online and looking for these jokes. Be sure to choose those that reflect good taste, are not nasty and spiteful but show a true affection for the person laced with a little bit of humor.

IRS TAX TIPS – Eight Facts About Filing Status

Everyone who files a federal tax return must determine which filing status applies to them. It’s important you choose your correct filing status as it determines your standard deduction, the amount of tax you owe and ultimately, any refund owed to you. Here are eight facts about the five Filing Status Options the IRS wants you to know in order to choose the correct filing status for your …

Irs Divorce Taxes

Irs Divorce Taxes

Question: What’s the IRS rule for declaring spouse as a dependent after a divorce?

I am planning to go through a divorce. My wife promised that it would be an amicable one. Will see. The situation is is this. We will be divorced sometime in 2007. Since I make most of the income, it makes sense for me to declare her as a dependent and file a married/Joint Return for 2007 and pass some of the tax savings on to her. What’s the IRS rule for this. Do I have to be married for any part of 2007, more than half, etc. to be able to do this? Do I need to wait until AFTER 6/30 TO MAKE DIVORCE FINAL? Is it prorated for the number of months married? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.




Answer: Are you talking about filing taxes in 2008 for tax year 2007? Your marital status is whatever it was on Dec. 31 of the tax year. So, unless you want to hang around until then, file for divorce whenever you feel like it.

MAKE SURE that you get her to file jointly with you for 2006… if that means doing the taxes yourself on Jan 1 and getting her signature right then, do it. “Amicable” can turn around quickly, and there are lots of people whose ex-spouse filed “Married, filing separately” in order to stick the other one (because then YOU have to file the same way, and you’ll owe a ton of taxes + penalities.)

Find the Right Tax Pro Pronto!

How to find the best person to help you with your taxes.

Need A Top Lawyer – Attorney? DUI, DWI, Legal Defense, Personal Injury, IRS, Divorce… We Can Help!


Federal Tax Filing Deadlines

Federal Tax Filing Deadlines

IRS advises filers to check for tax breaks

Although the April 15 tax-filing deadline still is months away, now is the time for people to start checking for tax breaks they might receive on this years returns, an IRS spokesman says.

Income Tax Truth Tom Cryer 2/3


Electronic Filing Of Form 5500

Gifts to charity pay off on your taxes

Your gifts to charity can do more than make you feel good. They might lower your tax bill.

Public Companies


Tax Refund Counted As Income

Tax Refund Counted As Income

Question: Do federal or state tax refunds count as income if I file my returns too late?

I’m just now filing my tax returns for 2004 and 2005. I waited since I knew I had refunds coming to me. I expect to receive these refunds in 2007. Will I then have to report them as income received in 2007 and pay taxes on those refunds? I didn’t think I would but a friend thinks I’ll have to treat it as income since I waited too long (over 1 year)




Answer: If you itemized in 2004 or 2005 you will have taken a deduction for state taxes paid during those years on Schedule A. So a refund must be taxed. It goes on the front of form 1040 in the year the refund is actually received, as a rule. It does not matter that you are late in filing. If you had filed on time, any refunds would have been taxable in the year received.

If you did not itemize in a particular year, any refund received for that year is not taxable, as you did not receive any deduction for it.

Federal refunds are not taxable in any case.

By the way, you have given Uncle Sam an interest-free loan for almost 2 years (for 2004) and almost a year (for 2005). Late filers do not get paid interest on the refund.

Related Information

California Superior Court’s decision last month in the Apple litigation should be considered by any water’s-edge California franchise taxpayer that has received a foreign dividend. 1 The court concluded that Fujitsu IT Holdings, Inc. v. Franchise Tax Bd. 2 does “not govern how to order distributions made by a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) to its parent when the distributions are made out …

Estate Planning : Do You Have to File an Income Tax Return After Someone Dies?