ErnieS0
Expert Alumni

Get your taxes done using TurboTax

This response was edited to correct that the taxpayer was self-employed and the husband received W-2 income.

 

Yes. Couples who file together report all their income on one tax return. Self-employment just requires an additional self-employment tax form called a Schedule C because no income taxes or Social Security and Medicare were withheld from your pay.

 

Those taxes will be added to your tax return so your refund will probably be lower than last year (if you both had W-2s) or you may owe.

 

Filing separately generally does not help. Married filing separately will just move your tax liability around. For example, if you end up owing $1,000 filing together, filing separately may give your husband a $500 refund while you may owe -$1,500 on your return ($500-$1,500 = -$1,000).

 

You’ll also need to upgrade to TurboTax Self-Employed. If you are using TurboTax Online you can do it within the program.

 

You can also claim business expenses.

 

[Edited 04/06/23 | 00:00 PST]

 

Learn more at The ultimate guide to tax deductions for the self-employed.

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