My ex and I are filing Married/Separately since he claimed the house. A Q that was asked when I started filling out the paperwork was if I own or rent. I answered rent.

lorik1003 · ‎April 15, 2026

I I can't claim the house, do I say that I own vs rent

xmasbaby0

Pause for a minute----were you still legally married at the end of 2025? Unless you were still legally married at the end of 2025, you cannot file as "married" for 2025.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**

SharonD007

TurboTax asks you that question to determine what deductions you may qualify for. You don't even have to answer it, you can skip it.

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rjs

If you were still legally married at the end of 2025 you would probably save a lot of money on your taxes if you filed jointly, if the two of you can cooperate enough to do that. If your ex already filed as married filing separately, he can amend his separate tax return to a joint return and include you. The fact that "he claimed the house" does not require you to file separately.

As xmasbaby0 said, you cannot file as married unless you were still legally married at the end of 2025. To be clear, that means you cannot file as married filing jointly or as married filing separately.

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My ex and I are filing Married/Separately since he claimed the house. A Q that was asked when I started filling out the paperwork was if I own or rent. I answered rent.