My spouse received a 1099-MISC for medical services but is not the business owner. The software defaults to create a Schedule C. Can I enter this income as a contractor without a Sch C? I can delete that form but the income does not show on income sources, and a bunch of errors are found when reviewing the fed return.
It depends. You indicated she is a contractor for medical services, however a 1099-MISC (box 3) would not indicate itself that it was self employment necessarily.
When you are entering the 1099-MISC there are some critical questions that would create a Schedule C. If this is casual income that is not regular or derived from regular services then answer the following questions with a 'No'. If the answer is 'Yes', then it should go to Schedule C as self employment.
If you decide it should be self employment here are some helpful links for business expenses.
If the income was reported in Box 3 of the 1099-MISC and represents trade or business income, then it is properly reported on Schedule C. In this scenario the income would be considered self-employment and your spouse herself would be the "business". Her name & address would be entered as the "business" name & address on Schedule C.
If it is not trade or business income, then when you enter the 1099-MISC into Turbotax answer No to the question about it being like her main job, check that she got it in 2023, and answer No to the question about it involving an intent to earn money. This should prevent a Schedule C from being generated.