topic My 2024 taxes have defaulted to Married filing jointly even though that is not the way I want to file. My spouse died early last yr & we never filed together in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

My 2024 taxes have defaulted to Married filing jointly even though that is not the way I want to file. My spouse died early last yr & we never filed together

colliershauna — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:28:48 GMT

How do I change it before filing to "married filing separately?"

Re: My 2024 taxes have defaulted to Married filing jointly even though that is not the way I want to file. My spouse died early last yr & we never filed together

xmasbaby0 — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 02:48:24 GMT

So sorry your loss.

You would have a higher standard deduction if you file MFJ--thereby making more of your income "tax free". The standard deduction for filing MFS is $14,600; the standard deduction for MFJ is $29,200. +$1550 for each spouse 65 or older

But If you want to file MFS, go to MY INFO and when it asks if you were married in 2024 you still say yes. Then it will ask if you want to file together with your spouse. Say no. You will have to enter some information about your spouse and will need to indicate that he died in 2024.

Re: My 2024 taxes have defaulted to Married filing jointly even though that is not the way I want to file. My spouse died early last yr & we never filed together

VolvoGirl — Sat, 08 Feb 2025 02:48:33 GMT

Are you in your same account that you filed MFS last year? It should let you file MFS for 2024. But you can file Joint with him for 2024. Or is anyone filing his last MFS return for 2024? Turbo Tax shouldn’t change your filing status. Go back through My Info and check what you answered. Or maybe start over and set up a new account.

Why were you filing MFS and not together? You might have missed out on some credits and deductions.