Married same-sex couples will now be respected for all federal tax benefits

Today, in a call with United States Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew, I learned that the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service would recognize legal same-sex marriages for all federal tax purposes. The IRS and the U.S. Treasury will be offering clear tax guidance and will update all relevant materials.  In addition, couples may file amended returns, covering their legal marriage for up to three years.  This unfortunately will not apply to domestic partnerships, nor does it include civil unions.

During our conversation, I asked Secretary Lew a very important question: will these rights be portable?  In other words, if a legally married Iowa couple moved to a state that did not recognize same-sex marriage, would their marriages still be recognized for federal tax purposes?  

Thankfully, the answer was a resounding “yes.” This is huge.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, One Iowa has been offering tax clinics with our tax expert, Jason Dinesen, and fielding calls from families across the state.  This ruling clarifies the standing of legally married same-sex couples and extends those benefits with their status based on the state of celebration — where the marriage took place.

Today is a great day for same-sex couples and their families. As a movement, we continue to take giant leaps forward. At One Iowa, we celebrate the recognition from the U.S. Department of Treasury, and we are grateful to the Administration for moving quickly and judiciously.