Hi,
I worked in state A from Jan-midAug and state B from midAug-Dec in 2021 (same home address as that of my spouse on paystubs/W2) after switching jobs (so, 2 W2's showing different states/addresses respectively).
My spouse worked in state B for the entire year 2021.
We got married in Feb 2021.
We had our 1st child in Sep 2021.
Our tax consultant advised that we can file as MFS with my spouse as HOH to maximize return (the difference is significant ~3k versus MFS only; MFJ yields the least return as this offsets my spouse's stimulus) as our on-paper stay together in 2021 is less than 6 months (ie midAug-Dec) with my spouse claiming our child as the qualifying dependent. The only documents I can think of showing my presence in state A from Jan-midAug are my paystubs and my W2 from previous job in state A.
Given the datapoints above, please let me know do we even qualify for the MFS/HOH filing status;
is it ok attempting to file and then amend if required by IRS; are there ramifications that can affect us down the line?
The intent is to maximize the tax return at the same time by remaining completely compliant to the tax filing system.
Thank you for your response in advance.
