Couples who have a civil union will not have any of the protections or responsibilities federal law offers to married couples. Your marriage might be certified by a religious official in fantastic standing, but can also be certified by a non-religious officiant such as a judge or retired judge of a court of record, a judge of the Court of Claims, a county clerk in a county obtaining 2,000,000 or more residents (Cook County), or a public official whose powers incorporate solemnization of marriage.
If you have been in a civil union as of December 31, 2013, you and your companion may select to file as married filing jointly” or as married filing separately” when you prepare your 2013 Illinois Person Revenue Tax types, Neither civil union companion, even so, may file as single” or as head of household” on his or her 2013 Illinois tax return.
Same sex couples who entered into a marriage in a state or jurisdiction that recognizes very same sex marriages in 2013 must file both their federal and Illinois tax returns as married filing jointly” or as married filing separately.” Couples who file federal returns as married filing jointly,” or as married filing separately,” do not have to file the Schedule CU in Illinois.
Couples currently in a civil union will often be able to get married in Illinois by going via the very same methods as any couple, proved they meet particular needs (be the identical parties to the civil union, not be in process of dissolving their civil union, and so forth.). They will incur the exact same waiting periods and method requirements as any other eligible marrying couple, except there is no fee for the marriage license.
Even though married parents are both presumed to be parents of children born into the marriage, we still strongly encourage non-biological parents to execute adoptions in addition to drawing up wills and powers of attorney, given that you may travel to states that do not respect your marriage or the legal presumption of parentage it creates.
