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Kokua Line
Question: I've been married for 10 years. I kept my maiden name and now have a hyphenated name. But I recently received a letter from the IRS saying that my Social Security number doesn't match my name. I called IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to inform them that all my social security cards were updated when I got married, with both my maiden name and hyphenated name. IRS targets
Social Security
name, number
discrepanciesBut I was told there is a problem because they do not recognize my added married name. I was told that when I do my new tax return, to just use my maiden name and not my hyphenated name. But that doesn't sound right because that's the name I am going by. I'm not the only one in this world with a hyphenated last name so other people must be affected too. What can I do about this or who can I call?
Answer: You must have been one of the 4 million taxpayers who recently received, or will receive, a letter on this very issue.
The mailing, which began in September and will continue through mid-November, targets taxpayers who filed a joint 1999 return on which the name and identification number for the second spouse did not match IRS records.
In fact, the IRS issued a press release on Oct. 5 saying it advises these taxpayers to compare the name and number used on the return with the information on the ID card issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The names must match exactly, said IRS spokeswoman Judy Monahan.
The issue has nothing to do with hyphenated names.
The SSA sends the IRS data every few weeks, Monahan said. From that, the IRS discovered that the names millions of people had on their Social Security cards did not match the names they used on tax returns.
She was puzzled by your statement that the Social Security card shows both your maiden name and your married hyphenated name. Only one name, either Mary Smith or Mary Smith-Jones can be used, Monahan said. Whatever name is on the card is the one that should be used on the tax form, she said.
She advises calling the SSA to get the name on your Social Security card changed to reflect whatever name you want to go by. Call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or check its Web site at www.ssa.gov.
According to the press release, the IRS, in the past, has not accepted electronic returns with any name or number mismatch, whether for the taxpayer, spouse or dependent. It also has reduced tax benefits claimed on paper returns when there was a mismatch for the first spouse listed on a joint return or for any dependent. "This coming year, the IRS will do the same for both spouses on a paper-filed joint return," it said.
Auwe
Re the Oct. 14 "auwe" in response to the mahalo I expressed to the Department of Transportation for trimming hedges on Vineyard Boulevard: After it was done, motorists were spared from having fully-grown branches infringing on their cars. Every weekday, more often than not, I am waiting for a light change and observing the conditions you lament, namely the broken wire fence and accumulation of debris. But they are man-made conditions and easily remedied. Understandably, the hedges were cut back quite back a bit, preventing the plants from growing in the manner that nature intended. Perhaps the DOT can use your input to lessen the degree of hedge-trimming and in a timely manner. -- Aileen Lum
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