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Get your taxes done using TurboTax
No. Since you said you were a California resident for the year, you would file a CA 540 resident return. As far as your wife, it doesn't matter to California if she has income or not. You may file jointly regardless to reap the benefits of filing Married Filing Jointly. Make sure in the PERSONAL INFO section that you say your wife is a non-resident alien. Then in the next screen, you will indicate you would like to treat a U.S. resident for the entire tax year and that this is the first year you are making the election. Look at the first two screenshots below.
Once you start your state return and answer questions, you are asked if you lived in California for the whole year and where your wife lived. The next three screenshots will show how you should answer those questions.
Here are the five screenshots I have mentioned and how you should answer these questions.
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