Unfortunately, each state has its own laws that apply to taxes so they are not always uniform. Even though you did not live or work in Wisconsin, because Wisconsin is a community property state and your spouse lived and worked there, you must each claim one half of the WI income. This means you would have to file the Wisconsin return as a Nonresident and report half and she would file a Resident return and report half so it would be easier to file the joint return so your income is nonresident and not taxed by Wisconsin.
Michigan law requires the same filing status as the federal if one spouse is resident, so all income would be taxed in Michigan. If you file the Wisconsin state tax return as Joint, you can at least get a credit for the taxes paid to Wisconsin.
This is the best way to minimize your taxes in your situation- otherwise you do end up paying double tax on some of the income.
@yykathy_QA
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