TurboTax recommends that my spouse and I file jointly, but this recommendation appears to be based on the general assumption that filing jointly reduces taxes, and not on a specific assessment of our income and tax situation. Does the software review the data inputs regarding my spouse's and my finances to determine whether joint or separate filing is better? The software appears to ask me if I'd prefer to file jointly or separately at the outset before collecting data. It recommends filing jointly as it normally saves money. But whether I choose joint for separate filing, TurboTax's rationale for this decision is not "filing jointly/separately appears to maximize your return" but rather "filing jointly is best because you decided to file jointly." This seems like circular logic, but I'm hoping there is an actual calculation that runs the tax return(s) jointly and separately to determine the optimum course. Thanks for your input.
