No, receiving interest income reported on Form 1099-INT does not mean you have to itemize.
Form 1099-INT is income that needs to be reported on your spouse's return. It is not a deduction that would affect itemized deductions for either of you.
Use the following steps to report the income on her return:
- On the top row of the TurboTax online screen, click on Search (or for CD/downloaded TurboTax locate the search box in the upper right corner)
- This opens a box where you can type in “interest income” and click the magnifying glass (or for CD/downloaded TurboTax, click Find)
- The search results will give you an option to “Jump to interest income”
- Click on the blue “Jump to interest income” link and enter the information