# Marrying You Mother for Tax Purposes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marrying-you-mother-for-tax-purposes/486003>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 15, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marrying-you-mother-for-tax-purposes/486003 "2009-02-15T23:01:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marrying-you-mother-for-tax-purposes/486003/21 "2009-02-16T12:13:38Z")

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> [@Si\_Amigo](#):
>
> Why Not? Dad has pasted on and Mom is 78 and on a fixed income. Say that I am (theoretically) 50, divorced with no kids, no home ownership and making over $100K a year. Basically I’d just be giving about $19K to the tax man and getting no return.  
> I love mom but can I marry her for just for tax purposes? Have people actually tried this?

Interesting discussion but I question the basic premise that you would actually be better off married. What is the 19K you are giving with no return? Have you ever heard of the “[marriage penalty](http://marriage.about.com/od/finances/a/marriagepenalty.htm)”?

> [@Telcontar](#):
>
> This would be…fascinating. I wonder if it would be really legal, as in other contexts marrying to “trick” the government is usually barred (immigration for example).

The \*marriage \*isn’t barred. Using marriage as fraudulent justification for granting residency status is what they prohibit. You know, they interview people to ask them what color is their spouse’s toothbrush and whatnot.

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