The Name that Goes First on the Tax Return Can Reveal a lot About the Taxpayers’ Beliefs and Attitudes
When couples file their taxes, whose name goes first? According to a recent study, this simple decision can reveal a lot about a couple's beliefs and attitudes. The study found that in joint tax returns filed by heterosexual couples, men are listed before women 88% of the time. That figure is down from 97.3% on 1996 tax returns. This traditional approach is still prevalent despite changes in gender roles over the years.
Interestingly, same-sex couples tend to list the older and richer partner first more often than heterosexual couples, suggesting that traditional gender expectations may outweigh the role of money in some cases.
The study also found that couples who list the man first on their tax return tend to have conservative social and political beliefs and are more likely to identify as highly religious, politically conservative, Christian, and opposed to abortion.
The study also found that men-first filers tend to engage in riskier financial behavior, such as holding stocks instead of bonds or bank accounts and being more likely to engage in tax evasion.
Gender norms and who takes the lead in doing or preparing the couple’s taxes are also factors.
Iowa residents who are taxpayers tend to have the husband's name listed first on joint tax returns more often than any other state, while those in D.C. have the lowest occurrence of this.
While some couples may be shifting their ways, the IRS discourages changing the order of names on a joint tax return.
Despite the agency's warning that changing the order could delay processing, nearly 1 in 4 married couples who started filing jointly in 2020 listed the woman's name first.
Olena Ruth | Tax Defense Attorney
Olena represents the taxpayers in federal and state tax audits, collection matters, administrative appeals, and the U.S. Tax Court’s cases. She is actively engaged in Tax Sections of the American Bar Association and Colorado Bar Association. She serves as Colorado Bar Association’s pro-bono attorney and liaison to the Internal Revenue Service. Her speaking engagements include presentations on tax matters in family law, employment tax issues, and communication with the IRS.
