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Husband and wife were married in 2008, can new wife be held responsible for husband not filing taxes in 2007

my husband did not file taxes for 2007 and owes the irs we were not married in 2007. we didnt get married till 2008 can my tax return be taken for his debt?

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Attorney answers (2)

Reputation Level 20
The IRS will intercept any refund with your husband's SSN attached to satisfy the taxes the IRS has determined for your husband.

When you filed your joint return, you must file an additional tax form to protect your share of the refund. Form 8379 is filed by one spouse (the injured spouse) on a jointly filed tax return when the joint overpayment was (or is expected to be) applied (offset) to a past-due obligation of the other spouse. By filing Form 8379, the injured spouse may be able to get back his or her share of the joint refund.

If your husband owes only for 2007 and not prior years, the IRS may not have calculated his 2007 taxes yet. It takes the IRS about two years to catch up with all the data it gets for a tax year. Your husband may want to file the 2007 tax return even if he does not have the money to pay. There is a failure to file penalty. That penalty can be substantial. By filing, your husband can at least limit some penalties. He will also trigger the running of the statute of limitations.

Your husband should also check if he needed to file state and local income tax returns.
2 people marked this answer as good
Christopher Michael Larson
Christopher Michael Larson, licensed in Washington

Reputation Level 11
If you live in a community property state such as California the IRS may levy on your salary to collect his old income taxes .

DISCLAIMER
This answer does not, nor is it intended to, create an attorney-client relationship or constitute attorney advertising. Rather, it is offered solely for information purposes. Since the facts of each case are different, it is important to seek out qualified counsel with whom information can be shared and assessed under an attorney-client privilege so that competent and tailored advice can be provided.
1 person marked this answer as good
Christopher Michael Larson
Christopher Michael Larson, licensed in Washington

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