Amend married filing separately to Amend Married Jointly

[penguinjaw]

Apparently TT did my taxes wrong. It appeared beneficial to file as married filing separately this year due to money that was withdrawn from an IRA last year.  However my State has now changed my return from $903 refund to $74 due (so I have to write the a check for $977).  TT apparently put the homestead tax credit on both of our refunds and maybe I should have seen it, but that is what I have TT for.  I don't understand any piece of this.  So do I have to re-file both or if I do one will that suffice?  And what is needed in order to change from married filing separately to married filing jointly.  Last question, do I have to re-file both Federal and State as filing jointly or just the State?  Or maybe that should be 'Should I' amend both?  Thanks.

[VictoriaD75]

You choose your filing status as married filing jointly or married filing separately when you file. The software does not assign it for you. If you need to amend both depends on your state laws. Some states require your state filing status to match the federal. You may want to review how the change in filing status would affect your Federal return.

There are certain tax implications to this choice. The standard deduction is less for Married Filing Separately ($12,200 in 2019) versus Married Filing Jointly ($24,400 in 2019). Opting for the Married Filing Separately status excludes taxpayers from certain tax credits, such as the Earned Income Credit or education credits.

Finally, in the event that you live in a community property state, you will have to list your spouse's income, tax liability, withholding, etc. on your return regardless of filing status.

Should You and Your Spouse File Taxes Jointly or Separately?

Married Filing Separately

Should you have to amend, follow the steps below:

1. Log into your TurboTax account
2. Choose the tax year that you wish to amend
3. Click Amend
4. Make any necessary changes

Keep in mind that when you are amending, the refund tracker monitors the difference from your original filing to the amended return. It does not include any original refund or balance due. If you are claiming any previously unclaimed credits, you will see the difference as an additional refund amount.