@NCperson wrote:
i have NEVER seen a situation where this makes sense financially
There are a couple of states (Iowa and ... Ohio?) that can often make sense. The State and Federal need to be the same filing status, and there can be a significant beneficial impact on the State return.
Plus, it is not only about the bottom line refund/owed. Both spouses are 100% responsible for the tax return. So if one spouse is not 100% comfortable with what their spouse is reporting, they shouldn't be filing Joint. For example, if a spouse has a business, but you suspect he/she may be underreporting income or inflating deductions, BOTH spouses are still 100% responsible for that if they are filing a Joint tax return.
