In October 2017,Joy and Paul separated and have not lived with each other since,but they are still legally married.They do not file a joint return.Joy supports their children after the separation and pays the cost of maintaining their home.Joy's filing status in 2017 and 2018 is,respectively
A)single for both years.
B)head of household and single.
C)married filing separately for both years.
D)married filing separately and head of household.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

D)Joy and Paul are married on the last day of the year so either a joint return or a separate return is required unless Joy qualifies as an abandoned spouse (and thus,head of household).She does not qualify in 2017 since Paul was in the home during the last six months of the year.However,since Paul is gone,a married filing separate return is necessary since he is not around to sign a joint return.In 2018,Joy,though still married,qualifies as an abandoned spouse and,thus,head of household.

In October 2017,Joy and Paul Separated and Have Not Lived