Yes, your filing status is determined by your marital status as of the last day of the tax year. So, if you were legally married as of December 31, 2023, then you can file your 2023 tax return as either Married Filing Joint, or Married Filing Separate.
You may benefit from creating a return for each scenario. You would do one return for Married Filing Joint which would combine the income and deductions from both you and your spouse. Then, prepare a Married Filing Separate return for each of you. Most of the time, the combined return will be the most beneficial, but not always. Also, be sure to account for your state return when deciding which way is best.
Using the CD/downloaded version of TurboTax will provide the most flexibility for you to decide which filing status is best. There is a built-in worksheet that makes it easy to do the comparison. It is called the 'What-If' worksheet.
To learn more, take a look at the following TurboTax help article:
What is my tax filing status (single, married, etc.)?
@ndeliberato
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