Whose Name on 540NR headers

[camilog137]

Hello,

My spouse and I are filling state taxes in California jointly but only he is earning income from that state. TurboTax put as default my name and SSN in the 540NR headers of each page. Is that ok or should his be there instead?

Thank you!

[ErnieS0]

The headings on your California income tax return should match the federal return because the California return uses federal information. 

Whoever is listed first on the federal return should also be listed first on the state return. That is the TurboTax default.

Switching the order can cause problems It may appear you didn’t file a state or federal return because one return has Taxpayer A listed first and the second return has Taxpayer B listed first.

Income is not a factor. If your spouse is the primary earner and you’d like them to be listed first, change the order before filing federal and state.

However, if you’ve filed several returns as the first listed taxpayer, switching the order may cause a delay because it is a change from previous years.