BK discharged 9/2013 is it better to file taxes married joint or married single

[professorkev]

I'm just getting around to doing our taxes. I filed BK last year (tons of CC debt) individual as wife was clean and not responsible for it. I'm assuming I'll be filing taxes jointly but has anyone taken other route? wife makes 3x what I make for income. I do know I have to file the 1099-C's I received from Citi and JPM and then file a form 982 showing it was BK.

Again just wondering if people filed married but single and how they made out doing their first taxes after discharge.

oddly, out of the man MANY creditors, only two sent me a 1099-C

[LadyInTheRed]

I don't know what BK has to do with the decision to file your taxes jointly of separately. The 1099-C's are a non issue if the debts were discharged in BK. You simply determine what method of filing results in less total tax.

FYI, you do not file the 1099-Cs with your return. The creditors already filed them with the IRS. All you need to do is complete and attach form 982.

It is not odd that only 2 creditors sent a 1099-C. Creditors are not required to send one when a non-business debt is discharged in BK. The following is from the form's instructions:

Exceptions

You are not required to report on Form 1099-C the following.

Certain bankruptcies. You are not required to report a debt discharged in bankruptcy unless you know from information included in your books and records that the debt was incurred for business or investment purposes. If you are required to report a business or investment debt discharged in bankruptcy, report it for the later of:

The year in which the amount of discharged debt first can be determined, or

The year in which the debt is discharged in bankruptcy.

http://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1099ac/ar02.html#d0e114

[professorkev]

Taxes were all completed. filed jointly of course. taxes on that discharged debt would have been $12K, but BK wiped that all out. If I had gone the settlement route my taxes would have been close to 10K on that settled debt.

it was complicated filing with that in sense just more paperwork but went through it all with ease.