My wife and I have been advised to submit a joint federal return and a separate state return because my wife works in RI and lives in MA w/ me. Do ALL states allow this?

[williamt-pappas]

TurboTax has advised me to do this, and they even have a FAQ about it (https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901214-how-do-i-prepare-a-joint-federal-return-and-separate-state...), and there is no note that says to make sure that the states you're filing in will allow this. It makes me think it's a general rule that a couple can file a joint federal return and separate state returns. I want to finish my taxes but want to double check that RI and MA will allow me to submit a separate state return even though we filed a federal joint return! Thanks 🙂

[HollyP]

No, all states do not allow this, and the general rules is that you must use the same filing status on the federal return and the state returns. However, both RI and MA do allow a different filing status than what is used on the federal return, under certain circumstances. 

• See the Rhode Island instructions, page 1, for specific instructions. http://www.tax.ri.gov/forms/2015/Income/2015%20Resident%20Instructions_12052015.pdf
• Also, see the Massachusetts general rules here for more info: http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/filing-and-payment-information/guide-to-personal-income-tax/fili...