If my divorce didn’t process until early in 2019, but we had lived independently for two years, do I have to file my 2018 taxes as married but separate?

My divorce didn't go through until Jan. 4, 2019, but my ex and I have lived separately for almost two years. We didn't help each other financially during that time. Do I really have to file married but separate for 2018 taxes?

If you were married on the last day of the year, two conditions need to be present to avoid a filing status that is married:

• You and your spouse lived apart during the last six months of the year
• You paid more than half of the cost of keeping up a home for yourself and your dependent child who lived with you for more than six months.

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Answered by: Judith Herron, CPA, is with Markovitz Dugan & Associates in Pittsburgh, Pa