After months of discussion with the Illinois Department of Revenue, EQUALITY ILLINOIS received word today that the State of Illinois will allow same-sex
couples in a civil union to jointly file their 2011 state tax returns
just as married spouses are currently allowed to do so. 

Since the beginning of June when same-sex couples
first started entering into civil unions, no one could speak with
certainty about how this new status would affect state tax policy.  We
immediately reached out to the Illinois Department of Revenue and
started the process of figuring out a solid solution to this problem. 
Illinois law specifies that couples in a civil union are afforded the
same rights and benefits as married spouses, so why should same-sex
couples’ state tax status be any different? 

Under the new guidelines issued by the Department
of Revenue, same-sex couples in a civil union may elect to file state
taxes as “married, filed jointly” or “married, filed separately” – the
same options opposite-sex married couples may choose.  If applicable,
couples would check a box for “same-sex civil union return.”  To
determine the adjusted gross income to include on state filings, couples
will have to complete a pro forma federal IRS return.

In order to ensure that couples in a civil union
were afforded the same rights as other spouses, we needed the leadership
of Gov. Quinn and Revenue Director Brian Hamer, and we thank them for
standing up for equality.  We are grateful to them and their respective
staffs for their commitment to equal treatment for same-sex couples.

With this new development, Illinois becomes the
tenth state, along with Washington, D.C., to allow same-sex couples to
file joint state tax returns!

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