State officials in Utah reversed course on Thursday, announcing that legally married gay and lesbian couples can file joint state income-tax returns.

Three months ago, Utah's Tax Commission said no to allowing out-of-state married gay couples to jointly file state taxes.

Since then, the state has handed out more than 1,300 marriage licenses to gay couples following a federal judge's December 20 ruling striking down the state's ban on gay marriage. For 17 days before the Supreme Court granted a stay in the ruling, Utah was the 18th state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Commission spokesman Charlie Roberts told the Salt Lake Tribune that the ruling “played a big role in this” decision.

The marriages of gay couples married in Utah and those married out-of-state will be recognized for the purposes of filing state taxes. However, the state will not recognize such unions for other purposes as an appeal in the case moves forward.

“We welcome the Utah State Tax Commission's announcement that it will permit legally married same-sex couples to file joint income taxes for the year 2013,” said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), one of the firms involved in the case. “That decision provides a modicum of protection for married same-sex couples and their families, but the State of Utah's refusal to honor the marriages of legally married same-sex couples for other purposes is deeply disappointing.”