Thanks for the message! helpful to know how to file federal together and states separately. I still don't get why there is such a large difference in the state refund if I file NY state jointly versus if she files NY state for us jointly.
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When either her or I file the federal tax jointly, it says we owe ~500$, if we file separately it nets to around the same amount.
When I file NY State jointly as the taxpayer and her as my spouse, our refund is $5000.
When she files NY state jointly as the taxpayer and myself as the spouse, we owe NYState $100.
If we each file NY state separately, she gets a 500$ refund and I owe $100.
I just don't understand why there's such a big difference? Are we technically not allowed to file jointly since we live in different states? below it says we can file jointly if one is a nonresident (me) and other is new york state resident.
From tax.ny.gov
"The only exceptions to this rule (state filing status has to be the same as federal filing status) apply to married individuals who file a joint federal return and:
- one spouse is a New York State resident and the other is a nonresident or part-year resident. In this case you must either:
- file separate New York State returns using filing status married filing separately; or
- file jointly, as if you both were New York State residents, using filing status married filing jointly."
