Thomson Reuters Offers Tax Guidance for Same-Sex Marriage

Thomson Reuters has released a new report on the Internal Revenue Service’s guidance on same-sex marriage in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down section three of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional.

Designed to help tax advisers navigate the decision’s tax implications, the Thomson Reuters Checkpoint report features explanations, observations and illustrations.

“The IRS guidance provides clarification on a number of issues that weren’t resolved by the Supreme Court’s decision,” stated Catherine Murray, tax analyst at Thomson Reuters and an author of the report. “Same-sex married couples and their advisors now have the necessary guidance to determine actions to take in relation to their federal taxes.”

In clarifying the tax implications of the Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling, the report includes:

•    How to determine whether a same-sex couple is legally married for federal tax purposes.

•    Policies for accepting amended returns based on marital status changes.

•    An explanation of the impact the ruling has on employers and employees.

•    A list of states that recognize same-sex marriage and when they began doing so.

•    An explanation of the ruling’s impact on couples in state-sanctioned “marriage equivalents,” including those residing in community property states.

Thomson Reuters also offers a list of resources for further guidance and training on the DOMA ruling in the report.