If the refund was received by a taxpayer claiming the Standard Deduction in tax year 2015, there is no need to report it.
If the refund was received and the Taxpayer claimed Itemized Deductions in tax year 2015, and used "State sales tax paid" rather than State income taxes paid (Schedule A line 5b), you do not need to report it.
If, on the other hand, the taxpayer who received the refund claimed Itemized Deductions in tax year 2015 and claimed State Income taxes Paid (Schedule A line 5a) you would need to include the full refund amount as income on this years joint return.
