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Can I sign for my spouse? My spouse and I lived in a separate place.

My spouse lived in another state but we file jointly. Can I sign 1040 and 1040x for her?

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JohnW222
Expert Alumni

Can I sign for my spouse? My spouse and I lived in a separate place.

You can sign for her, but you need a valid power of attorney, which she has to sign.  And, there are a few steps you need to follow.

The power of attorney form is Form 2848

If you paper-file your joint return through the mail, simply attach the signed Form 2848 to the complete return.

If you eFile your return, however, the process is a bit more complicated.  You'll eFile the return as normal through TurboTax.

THEN, you'll need to send both the signed Form 2848 and the IRS' Form 8453, U.S. Individual Income Tax Transmittal for an IRS e-file Return to the IRS.  On Form 8453, you'll check the second checkbox, for "Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative."  There's no signature requirement on Form 8453.  The mailing address for these items is on page 2 of Form 8453.

CAUTION:  If you've eFiled your return, do not include a copy of the return with the Form 2848/8453 package you're sending.  It could become detached from the forms you're sending in, the IRS could process it as an original return, and all kinds of problems could ensue.

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