My wife thinks that the way we filed this year, took away her ability for a lot deductions including EIC, etc. Seems strange that she would owe at all given her total.

[xmasbaby0]

Please explain how you filed--why does she think it took away her credits and deductions?  Did you file separate returns?

[nsusmetzer]

married but separate

[xmasbaby0]

She is right the she lost EIC.  See below:

[xmasbaby0]

However, with your combined incomes on a joint return, you might not get EIC that way either.

[nsusmetzer]

I see the total combined income is $20k, which we would be over, perhaps we should do single

[xmasbaby0]

No.  If you are married you cannot file as Single--that would be tax fraud.  You can choose joint or separate.

[nsusmetzer]

ceremony and common law yes, but not officially on paper through state

[SweetieJean]

Which state? Not all recognize common law marriages.

[xmasbaby0]

STATES THAT RECOGNIZE COMMON LAW MARRIAGE
CO, DC, CO,IA,KS,MT,OK.RI,SC.TX, UT

[xmasbaby0 · Accepted solution]

If you were legally married at the end of 2017 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will each receive the $4050 personal exemption, plus the married filing jointly standard deduction of $12,700 (add $1250 for each spouse over the age of 65).  You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit. 

If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return. Some of the special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, adoption credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable.  In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be affected. If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. ( Community property states:  AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI) If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states