What was your marital status on December 31?

Your marital status indicates whether you’re single, married, divorced, separated, widowed, or in a common-law relationship. In H&R Block’s DIY tax software, your marital status on December 31 determines how you prepare your taxes for the year (individually or with your spouse or common-law partner) and the benefits to which you’re entitled.

The following definitions will help you select your marital status in H&R Block’s tax software.

  • You’re single if you’ve never been married and none of the other options listed below apply.

  • You’re married if you’re legally married.

    Note: You’re still married if you were living apart for reasons other than a breakdown of your relationship.


  • You’re common-law if you're living in a conjugal relationship with someone to whom you're not legally married. Additionally, one of these situations must apply to the person you're in a relationship with:
    • He or she has been living with you for at least 12 consecutive months (this can include any periods you were separated for less than 90 days because of a breakdown in your relationship)
    • He or she is the parent of your child (by birth or by adoption)
    • He or she has custody and control of your child (or had custody and control immediately before your child turned 19) and your child is dependent on that person for support.

  • You’re divorced if you finalized the divorce process and haven't remarried or established a common-law relationship.

  • You’re separated if you've lived apart from your spouse or common-law partner for a period of 90 days or more because of a breakdown of your relationship and you haven’t reconciled. If you've separated, don't notify the CRA until the separation lasts for more than 90 consecutive days. Periods of separation that are less than 90 consecutive days don't change your marital status for the CRA’s purposes. Click this link for more information.

  • You’re widowed if your spouse or common-law partner has died and you haven't remarried or established a common-law relationship.

If your marital status changed during the year, you must inform the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and/or Revenu Québec. Keeping your marital status up to date with the appropriate agency allows you to maximize the benefits that you’re entitled to (such as the GST/HST credit, Canada workers benefit (CWB), and Canada child benefit). It could also prevent any incorrect claims from being made that could result in you having to give money back to the CRA or to Revenu Québec.

Once you’ve indicated your marital status* on the Marital Status on December 31, 2023 page of H&R Block’s tax software, you won’t be able to change your selection, even if it was made accidentally. For example, if you initially indicated that you were single on December 31, 2024 but then learned that since you moved in with your significant other in June, the CRA considers you to be in a common-law relationship for tax purposes. If that’s the case, you won’t be able to change your selection; you’ll need to start a new return.

*If you indicated that your marital status was single, separated, divorced, or widowed, you won’t be able to change it once you’ve completed the Get Started section of your return. If you indicated that your marital status was married or common-law relationship, you won’t be able to change it once you complete the Preparing Your Return page.