This here thing, see, this accidentally filed single when married, it’s a real head-scratcher. I heard folks talkin’ ’bout it down at the market, and I tell ya, it got me thinkin’. Now, I ain’t no fancy book learner, but I know a thing or two ’bout life, and this here’s one of them things that can get ya in a pickle.
So, you’re hitched, right? Like, ring on the finger, said your “I do’s” and all that. But then, come tax time, somethin’ goes wonky. You check that little box that says “single” instead of the one that says “married.” Lordy, that’s a mess. I reckon it happens more often than folks let on. Maybe they’re in a hurry, maybe they just don’t pay no mind. Whatever the reason, it’s a mistake, plain and simple. And you gotta fix it.
Now, I heard them smart fellas on the radio talkin’ ’bout somethin’ called a “1040-X”. Sounds like some kinda space rocket, don’t it? But apparently, it’s just a piece of paper you gotta fill out. A form, they call it. And you gotta send it off to the tax man. They like their papers, those tax folks.
If you done made this mistake and you tellin’ the goverment you are single when you really got a husband or wife. Well that is gonna cause you some problems. These goverment people don’t like when you don’t tell them the truth.
- First thing is you gotta get that paper, that 1040-X thing.
- Then, you gotta tell ’em you messed up.
- You gotta tell the truth, see? Say you’re married, not single.
- If you don’t, they can get real mad, and you don’t want the tax man mad at ya.
I heard tell of a woman, once, who did this very thing. She was married, but she filed as single for, oh, I don’t know, a couple of years, I reckon. Thought she was bein’ clever, savin’ a few dollars here and there. Well, the tax man caught up to her, eventually. They always do, you know. She had a real mess on her hands. Lots of headaches and paid them a lot more money to settle everything. I think she had to pay back all that money she saved, plus some extra for bein’ sneaky, I reckon. And she did it for years, I can’t even imagine how much money she had to pay the IRS man. They always get you, in the end.
So, if you’re out there, and you done accidentally filed single when you’re married, don’t you wait. You get on that 1040-X thing right away. It’s better to fess up now than to have them come lookin’ for ya later. Trust me on this one. This kind of mistake, accidentally filed single when married, is gonna follow you, yeah.
And don’t think you can just ignore it, neither. The tax man, he’s got a long memory. And he’s got computers, too, I hear. Big ones, that can find out all sorts of things about ya. They will find your mistake. If you don’t fix this, you will be in trouble.
Now, some folks, they might try to tell ya it’s no big deal. They might say, “Oh, just leave it be. They won’t notice.” But don’t you listen to ’em. They’re just tryin’ to lead you down the wrong path. Accidentally filed single when married, that is not a small mistake, no sir.
And if you used one of them computer programs to do your taxes, like that TurboTax thing I keep hearin’ about, well, they say it’s easy to fix it on there, too. Somethin’ about “Amend My Return,” they call it. I don’t know nothin’ ’bout that, myself. I always just used a pencil and paper. But if you’re one of them young folks who’s good with computers, maybe that’s the way to go.
It don’t matter how you do it, just do it and be quick about it too. You don’t want these people on your back, it is not fun I will tell you that.
And I don’t know how to get these papers either, you gotta ask someone smarter than me. But I do know that if you are married, you gotta tell the IRS you are married. It is just the right thing to do. I don’t know why someone would do this on purpose, it just makes things worse. This accidentally filed single when married business is just a mess, I tell ya. A real mess. But it can be fixed. Just takes a little time and a little honesty. And that 1040-X thing, of course. Don’t forget that.
And one more thing, the deadline is December 31st, I think, maybe. So if you got married after that, well then you don’t have to worry about it. But if you got married before then, you gotta file as married.
So there you have it. That’s all I know ’bout this accidentally filed single when married situation. Just remember, always tell the truth. It might not make life easy but it will sure keep it a lot simpler. Especially when it comes to them IRS folks. Don’t mess with them, no way.
