Hello and

welcome to Money Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for a richer life.

I'm your host Laura Adams. In all the excitement of a wedding or sorrow of a divorce or death of a spouse,

it's easy to forget about tax issues that need to be addressed.

In this show I'll give you tax tips for what to do in your marital status changes.

One of the first things to remember once you get back from the honeymoon

is to notify the Social Security

Administration if you plan to change your name.

Your tax return must match the name you've registered with the Social Security Administration

in order to avoid problems.

You also will need to get an updated Social Security card with your new name.

Simply submit Form SS5, the application for a Social Security card, and allow yourself at least two weeks for the change to go into effect.

You can find more information at social security.gov.

If you have a new address, notify the U.S. Postal Service as soon as possible so your mail

delivery won't be interrupted.

The post office sends your new information to the IRS.

However, I also recommend that you notify the IRS directly about your address change using

Form 8822, especially if you're expecting a tax refund.

It's important to decide which tax filing status you're going to use for the year

in which your marital status changes. Your filing status is important because it determines

the amount of tax you have to pay. It affects the amount of your standard tax

deduction and whether you're eligible to claim certain tax deductions and

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