You received a call today from an attorney that you occasionally work with. He has clients he is advising and asks for your help with an issue.

In 1985, Larry met his soul mate, Mandy, and immediately fell head over heels in love. Sparks flew quickly and the two were married before the end of the year. They remained madly in love for a time and had 3 children together. Unfortunately, over time the flames flickered out and Larry and Mandy decided that they needed to divorce. Both parties were amenable to the divorce and were not fighting over custody, assets, etc. Due to the amenability to the divorce and lack of issues to fight over, legal counsel in California advised them to seek a “quick” divorce via divorce proceeds in Bermuda. The parties separated and in 2000 flew to Bermuda, finalized their divorce, and went their separate ways.

Around 2010, Mandy found a new man (Kenny), remarried, and soon thereafter had a child with Kenny. Unfortunately for Mandy, her marriage with Kenny did not work out either and in early 2018, Mandy and Kenny separated. They had lived apart for over 1 ½ year and were in the process of seeking a divorce when they made a startling discovery. The state court processing the divorce discovered that the Bermuda divorce was not valid and, thus, Mandy’s marriage to Kenny was never valid. Around October 12, 2018 (just as Larry was finalizing his extended tax return), he received a call out of the blue from Mandy informing him of the issue related to their divorce.

The attorney asks: What filing status do Larry, Mandy, and Kenny use for tax return filings for 2018?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The attorney has asked for my help in determining the filing status for Larry Mandy and Kenny for the 2018 tax year I have determined that Larry shoul... View the full answer