Shopping Savings: Jackson Hewitt

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Right now you can get discounted tax preparation by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service®.  The Jackson Hewitt coupon available in this post offers taxpayers $20 off tax preparation fees at participating Jackson Hewitt office locations.

Get a jump on filing your tax returns by filing early. Filing taxes early and being prepared can make all the difference for taxpayers in getting the maximum refund you are eligible for - or give you time to save in the event you owe.  

Taxpayers are invited to meet with a local Jackson Hewitt tax preparer to help figure out which filing status gets them the lowest taxes, as well as all the tax credits and deductions they and their families are eligible for. Find a Jackson Hewitt office near you. 

You can also read these great tips on family arrangements and how it impacts your taxes.

Single Parent
Based on the Census Bureau, more than 11 million households were single families in 2011. 

• The Head of Household filing status has the second highest standard deduction amount and the second lowest taxes. A parent can usually claim the Head of Household status if the parent is single, the only adult in the household, provides more than half the cost of running the home (ex. rent, utilities and food) and has dependent children or other relatives.
• A parent doesn’t usually qualify as Head of Household, and instead must file as Married Filing Separately, if he or she is still married and has not lived apart from his or her spouse for the last half of the year, or his or her dependent is a relative other than a child.
• Finally, whether single or married, single parent families receiving state aid to help with food, rent, and utilities may not qualify for the Head of Household filing status. If this is the case and the taxpayer isn't married, he or she generally can file as Single and still claim dependents.

Blended Families
Blended families are a combination of two parents with children from previous relationships and/or from the current relationship. 

• When the parents are married, they file a joint return and claim their children from their own relationship and any children they are eligible to from the previous relationship. Children can live with one set of parents, but be claimed on the tax return of another set of parents. 
• If the parents in a blended family get a divorce, they may be eligible to file as Head of Household. Except for the spousal relationship, the IRS considers all familial relationships created by a marriage to continue as a familial relationship after a marriage has ended. Therefore, a stepchild is considered a taxpayer’s child before and after the divorce for tax purposes.

Same-Sex Marriage
New this year, the IRS recognizes same-sex couples as married taxpayers if they were legally married.  

• Beginning September 16, 2013, married same-sex taxpayers must file as either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately on their federal income tax returns. 
• However, states can determine their own rules on same-sex marriage and many states do not recognize these as legal marriages. So if a same-sex couple was legally married in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage, but lives and files taxes in a state that doesn't, the taxpayers will file as a married taxpayer on their federal returns and file as a single taxpayer on their state tax returns. 

Multi-generational Households
According to AARP, more than 22 million households provide care for family members over 50. Many of the households choose to have parents live with them and their children, creating a household with three and sometimes four generations under one roof, with several tax implications.

• The children of the elderly parents are usually the provider for their own children and their parents. These taxpayers can often claim Head of Household filing status if they aren't married, based on either a dependent child or a dependent parent. 
• Many times the elderly parent may not make enough money to support themselves, but they make too much money for their child to claim them as a dependent. Work up a separate dependent worksheet for each parent – it is not uncommon to find that one parent can be claimed as a dependent.