Q. Do you report spouses social security income on joint tax returns?
A. Yes.
Social security (SS) only becomes taxable when added to sufficient other income. If you are otherwise required to file a tax return, you do need to enter it in Turbotax (TT). TT will determine the taxable portion.
You may be thinking that filing Married Filing Separately (MFS) might save you money, because you won't have to add your spouse’s SS income to your return. That thinking is usually wrong. There is a special rule that says SS becomes taxable at zero ($0) other income when Filing as MFS. The doubled standard deduction will usually wipe out most of the spouse’s income, on a joint return. And you will still get the use the lower joint filing rates.
Before making a decision to file as MFS, you should run test returns and compare. You can use this tool: https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/taxcaster/?s=1
