Stimulus Question

[Debbie4118]

I filed my taxes married filing separate and I chose standard deduction using Turbo Tax which picks that my husband can be claim on someone else’s taxes and he did the same. Now we haven’t received the stimulus check due to choosing this particular deduction. We both made less than $45k and the calculator says we aren’t eligible. Can someone explain this for me please? I tried calling the IRS but the wait time is forever. Thank you 🙏 

[xmasbaby0]

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-topics/help/spouse-claimed-as-a-dependent-box-checked-on-2019-...

You do not say why you filed married filing separately.  That is usually the worst way to file.  You could amend one of your returns to change it to a joint return.

If you were legally married at the end of 2019 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

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 $24,400 (+$1300 for each spouse 65 or older)  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 special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, adoption credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. Your limit for SALT (state and local taxes and sales tax) will be only $5000 per spouse. In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be affected. 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)

If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...