Filing status different on federal and state

[Graffiti]

Why does Turbotax say that I am married filing separately for state and married filing jointly for federal? My intention was to file MFJ for both. Is Turbotax recommending that I file MFJ for Federal and MFS for state for some reason?

[MaryK4]

Can you clarify which state?  Each state has its own requirements. @Graffiti

[Graffiti]

Iowa

[MaryK4]

You can file jointly on a Iowa return, even if one spouse is a Part-Year or nonresident.  Go back to the beginning of the Iowa section of TurboTax and check the questions regarding filing status.  

[Graffiti]

I went back to my profile on Turbotax and it correctly says that I'm married filing jointly. I went back to the beginning of the state section and found a section called "Do Any of These Situations Apply? Turbotax (not me) had already checked 2 boxes, (1) I need to change or verify my Iowa residency information and (2) I want to enter a phone number. I tried to uncheck #1, but when I came back to that screen, it had been re-checked on my behalf. Why? We've both lived in Iowa for more than 35 years. Should I click "Change Residency" and change it to Iowa even though it is already marked Iowa on the residency status page?

[MaryK4 · Accepted solution]

Yes, for some reason TurboTax brings the information from the Personal Info section of the federal return, but then allows you to make changes on the state part.  You can change the filing status here too (see below)  @Graffiti

[Graffiti]

Thank you for your help and your patience!