Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
New Member
posted Feb 28, 2021 6:20:28 AM

How to file Federal tax in status of head of household and file California tax in status of married separately using Turbotax

I'm a resident alien and my spouse is a nonresident alien. We have a qualifying dependence and we live together. In the instrument of 1040, I'm qualified a head of household. (1040 instrument: You are married to a nonresident alien at any time during the year and the election to treat the alien spouse as a resident alien is not made. You are considered unmarried for this purpose). However, I'm not qualified a head of household in California (540 NR instrument: If you were married or an RDP as of the last day of the year, and you lived with your spouse/RDP at any time during the last six months of the year, you cannot qualify for the head of household filing status).  How could I file Federal tax in status of head of household and file California tax in status of married separately using Turbotax.

0 2 494
2 Replies
Expert Alumni
Mar 2, 2021 12:32:52 PM

You need to prepare two separate federal returns, one filing as head of household, and the other married-separate. Then, file the federal and state returns separately. You can use the desktop version of TurboTax to accomplish this, as you can file multiple returns for the same fee.

Returning Member
Sep 30, 2021 4:09:55 PM

In my situation it is Head of Household on federal but California says I'm single.   If I file two separate federal returns (as per your recommendation), the federal tax is different between the two of them.   Which federal return do I actually pay?