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If one spouse itemizes then you both must itemize.   You can each enter some of the mortgage interest or property tax paid in 2025 as long as the total entered between the two of you is not more than 100% of the total.   Filing married filing separately is usually the worst way to file.     If you were legally married at the end of 2025 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately when you prepare your 2025 return.   Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will get the married filing jointly standard deduction of $31,500 (+ $1600 for each spouse 65 or older)  for 2025. You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit.    If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return.    Some of the disadvantages of filing separately include:    You cannot get earned income credit,  You cannot get education credits or deductions for student loan interest.  You cannot get the childcare credit You have a lower amount of income on which to base the refundable additional child tax credit 85% of your Social Security benefits will be taxable even with no other income  The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be limited. Capital loss deduction is less than if you file jointly You cannot get the $6000 senior deduction You cannot get the deductions for overtime or tips    If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. ( Community property states:  AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI) and your returns become very complicated.    If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice since with online, you get one return per fee.     https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/marriage/should-you-and-your-spouse-file-taxes-jointly-or-separately/L7gyjnqyM?srsltid=AfmBOopGqCNexowW0pYgvsf7ycIkrx4VjO_63UXv6vSnfu3UEGQiKQTh   https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/income/getting-married-mean-taxes/L2RgmagpE_US_en_US?uid=m69on7t0     https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/married-filing-separately-community-property/L11CeLUMs_US_en_US?uid=m69ousyh    

Yes, because the IRS calculates the actual penalty based on your specific quarterly underpayments, so it is possible that a higher underpayment penalty could be assessed. They could even send you a refund if the estimate was above what the IRS determines.   TurboTax calculates an estimated underpayment tax penalty based on the information that you have entered. The IRS (or State Agency) can calculate this based on the information they have, and the amount may not be the same. The IRS applies more precise quarterly calculations based on when your income was actually received. Penalties can be higher, especially if payments were made unevenly throughout the year.   If you receive a notice for a higher amount, you can review it and possibly request a waiver based on reasonable cause.    See also: Penalty relief for reasonable cause Guide to IRS Tax Penalties: How to Avoid or Reduce Them If you have additional information or questions regarding this, please return to Community and we would be glad to help.  

Same thing was happening to me.  Would not import!  I tried re-saving last year's file as a new name in 2024 Turbo Tax and tried importing the new file.  Still would not import!  So last ditch effort, I tried opening the 2024 tax file with 2025 Turbo Tax.  An alert popped open saying it was the wrong tax year and asked if I wanted to Transfer (import) instead.  It worked!  Pretty messed up way to get it to work.  TurboTax has always been user friendly but I just burnt an hour trying to simply get started.  I've been increasingly disappointed with Intuit of recent years as there have been more and more glitches that make it hard to rely on.

The best way is to call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040  and ask the representative to release the 2024 overpayment or reallocate it to a different tax year.     You can also file IRS Form 843, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement.  Be sure to indicate that it was a duplicate payment as the explanation.

Thank you for the perspective. To clarify a few points regarding my specific situation: Visa Intent: I am not planning to use the F-1 for a long-term stay. I am currently in the process of transitioning to other visa categories (O-1/H1B/Green Card), which is why strict tax compliance is my top priority for the USCIS 'Good Moral Character' requirement. Willingness to Pay: I am fully prepared to pay the required taxes, even if it were the full 15.3%. Though my understanding is that Form 8919 Reason Code H allows a W-2 employee to pay just the 7.65% individual share, I would rather pay it now than have an underpayment on my record during an immigration interview. Seeking Procedure: Is there a clear, IRS-documented procedure for a Resident Alien to self-correct a W-2 FICA omission when an employer refuses a W-2c? Specifically, has anyone here worked with a CPA who has successfully navigated the Form 8919/4852 workflow for a visa holder transitioning to Resident status? I am looking for a professional who treats this as an USCIS compliance issue than a IRS compliance issue. 

Ah, I missed that a bit below the screenshot there were separate tabs to (a) input the Jan 2025 payment that I made for 2024 taxes and (b) to input the April 2025 state payment for balance of 2024 tax due.  Now my Federal and State are both correct...first time I've used TurboTax this year. Thank you so much for all your help it is much appreciated!!!

It may be that you did not indicate in the New Jersey return that you are disabled. You do that on the screen that says Other Situations That May Apply to You. You see that screen when you go through the initial set up for your state return. Choose the option that says Disabled filer information.