About gambling gambling winnings and joint filing

[mmfecc]

So we are filing joint married. I do not work and my wife does. Her refund was over $6000 and I had $20000 in gambling winnings which took most of her refund away. I did file my losses. Is there a way for us to file so she is not responsible for the winning taxes but I am. Also with us filing together we have 2 kids we get the car credit.  Thx..

[VolvoGirl]

"car" credit?  Do you mean the Child Tax Credit or the Child Care Credit?  You both need earned income from wages to get the Care Credit.

[NewGuy]

When you are filing jointly, there is no "her" refund.  You are combining incomes and taking all deductions, exemptions, and credits you are allowed as a married couple.  The TurboTax refund estimate only takes into account the information that has been entered up to that point.  So if you entered your filing status and then your wife's income, it would estimate your return using that income and all allowable deductions (some of which are yours).  It would then drop the refund based on your winnings.

The only way to truly separate your tax situation from your wife's is to file married filing separately.  This typically results in a larger overall tax obligation than if you filed jointly.