UPDATED FOR TAX YEAR 2019
It’s quite likely the IRS would want to take any joint refund to apply to past-due taxes. To protect any refund you might receive, you can either:
- File separately from your wife; or
- Apply for injured spouse protection. If granted, "injured spouse" prevents a spouse's tax refund from being attached for the debt of the other spouse (for example unpaid taxes or student loans). The IRS doesn't automatically approve injured spouse applications, but you might want to consider it if 1/2 of your joint refund is more than your refund if you file separately.
Please see the following for additional information:
[Edited | 3/31/2020 | 1:32pm PDT]
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