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From: susan@vaxwaller.UUCP (Susan Finkelman)
Newsgroups: net.taxes
Subject: Re: Common Law Marriage and Taxes
Message-ID: <214@vaxwaller.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 15:20:47 EST
Article-I.D.: vaxwalle.214
Posted: Wed Feb 20 15:20:47 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 24-Feb-85 03:25:24 EST
References: <70@lambda.UUCP>
Organization: Varian, Walnut Creek, CA
Lines: 27

> 
>  >> Question:  What's the big difference between SOs
>  >> living together and SOs married?
>  >> IRS:  The married ones are poorer because they get to pay more taxes.
>  >> 
> 
>  >Also in many states the common law marriage is accepted as a marriage
>  >after some time (it is 6 months in OK).
>  >This means that in some states the IRS might have (but not likely)
>  >eventually caught up with you and charged you with filing improperly
>  >as you were in reality married even if you never filed for a certificate.
> 
Disclaimer:  I am not an attorney or a tax accountant.

The law in Texas was explained to me as follows:  

If you represent yourself as married, or you enter into a major contract
with someone which would cause the 'community' to consider you married and
you do not deny it (such as buying a house with your SO) you are married.  
A divorce must be obtained from the court to validly end such a relationship.
The IRS can, and occasionally does, get people who are living together in
such a relationship for filing incorrectly.

The information was obtained from 2 friends (a lawyer & an accountant) and
upheld by a divorce I witnessed where the parties were granted a divorce
although they had merely lived together & said they were married.  All
of this happened around 2 1/2 years ago.