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Separated couple filing problem

My separated spouse filed her own return via TurboTax, and said that the program forced her to file Single because she (we) have no dependents.

 

I am pretty sure that, since our divorce is not final and we just separated in September, that both of us should file Married... either Separately or Jointly... and we are opting to file Separately since I moved to a different state after separating and earned significant income there. 

 

I am convinced she needs to correct her filing from Single to Married-Filing Separately, and the problem appears to be with the TurboTax program not allowing it. 

 

The return has not yet been released to the IRS and her state by TurboTax because she used a different email address.

 

Is there someone she can call to help her with this, *before* the return is sent to IRS/her state?

 

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2 Replies
Vanessa A
Employee Tax Expert

Separated couple filing problem

You are correct, she cannot file as single since you are still married.  You will both need to include each others SSN's on your returns as the spouse.  

 

If she has already submitted her return and is waiting for it to be accepted by the IRS, there is nothing she can do until it is either accepted or rejected. If it is rejected, then she just needs to change her status. 

 

 If it is accepted, she will need to Amend her return to make the changes.  Amendments are not available until February sometime. This could cause an issue with your return being rejected when you go to file as her SSN would be used as single and not able to be linked to your return, so you may end up needing to print and mail your return.

 

If she did not submit it, then she just needs to go into the Personal Info section and change her marital status to Married and then say she wants to file separately. To do this she will just click Personal Info>>then the pencil next to her name. 

 

 

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Separated couple filing problem

it's not Turbotax.  there is a question on her personal info about marital status that she answered incorrectly.  - for example legally separate or single. 

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