In late April of this year the U.S. Department of Education announced that they will begin recognizing same-sex parent households in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application process. The application will still fail to include a same-sex or registered domestic partner marital status, but instead will use “unmarried parents living together.” TheContinue reading “How the U.S. Department of Education’s Decision to Recognize Same-Sex Parents Affects your Ability to pay for College”
Category Archives: Washington State
Loss of Head of Household Status for Registered Domestic Partners in Washington and Nevada and Same-Sex Married Couples in California
As taxpayers we are always looking for ways to keep more of our money. If you are unmarried, one of the easiest ways to save on taxes is to file as Head of Household (HOH) instead of Single. The HOH filing status has both lower tax rates and a larger standard deduction. Together, these advantages can haveContinue reading “Loss of Head of Household Status for Registered Domestic Partners in Washington and Nevada and Same-Sex Married Couples in California”
Social Security Issues for Registered Domestic Partners in Washington State
The absence of federal marriage equality has a powerful impact on your social security. I briefly touched on this in a previous post, Washington to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage?. What I discussed there was in the context of survivor benefits which is unfortunately only one of the social security issues that “unmarried” couples face. Let’s startContinue reading “Social Security Issues for Registered Domestic Partners in Washington State”
Washington to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage?
The State of Washington may be on its way to becoming the seventh state, in addition to Washington D.C, to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2007 Washington legalized domestic partnerships, then, in 2009 it expanded the rights of registered domestic partners to include “everything but marriage” as the passing bill became known. Now, in 2012, GovernorContinue reading “Washington to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage?”
It’s Tax Time: What You Need to Know if You are a Registered Domestic Partner in Washington State
In 2010, the IRS made drastic changes to the filing requirements for Registered Domestic Partners (RDPs) in Washington State. Didn’t know about these changes? You are not alone. It was a scramble for many in 2011. Some learned of the changes just before the filing deadline, while others remained unaware until after they had filedContinue reading “It’s Tax Time: What You Need to Know if You are a Registered Domestic Partner in Washington State”