Separate turbotax accounts when filing jointly

[lstask]

I got married this year, and my wife and I would like to file jointly. We have both used turbotax in the past, and each have our previous tax history associated with our personal accounts.

When filing jointly, do we need to pick just one of those turbotax accounts and add info for the other person? We've each entered our own info separately so far and, even though we've each added the other's social security number, it does not appear to link the 2 turbotax accounts.

How can we each maintain our turbotax accounts while filing jointly this year?

[Texas Roger · Accepted solution]

There is no way to maintain your separate accounts and file jointly. Choose the account with the most complicated information to transfer from the prior year and transfer it into the new return and then manually add the information from the other account to the new return.

[spencer-rysman]

Hi, I see this answer is from 2 years ago. Has anything changed?

[xmasbaby0]

No.  This answer  from Texas Roger is still spot on.
To begin a new joint return on TurboTax:
You will not be able to merge two previous TT account to start your new joint return.  You can transfer ONE of your 2016 returns into a new return, so choose the most complicated one.  The other spouse’s information needs to be entered manually.
When you enter your own information in Personal Info, you have to answer the question "Were you married?"  If you click the button for Married, then a drop down will appear that asks, "Do you want to file this return together with your spouse?"  Then you choose yes to file a joint return.  You would then enter your spouse's information into Personal Info.  Whenever you are entering income information there should then be a spot for you and for your spouse's income information.

[spencer-rysman]

Good to know, thanks!

[xmasbaby0]

You are welcome.

[VolvoGirl]

You should usually  file a Joint return which is only 1 return combined for the both of you.  Make sure to stick with this one account for the future.  Just ignore the other spouse's account. And info on Getting Married….. http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Family/Getting-Married/INF12006.html   Is it better to file Joint or Separately? https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...

[jeffty]

The answer may be spot on but it's still terrible state, and ought to be fixed properly. From an application security perspective, account sharing is bad. Every user should be able to have their own account and cooperate on a joint return, so TurboTax can tell who did what. Sharing account info increases the likelihood that information is intercepted. You have no non-repudiation. If both people say they aren't responsible for an action, TurboTax can't say who did what: someone could be lying or the account could have been hacked. Who knows? In this day and age, there is no excuse for not supporting one account per user, even if they are cooperating on a single return in the application.  It would obviously require extensive rework to properly support, so they're just being cheap, and compromising the security and function of the product as a result. 

[geglne]

I agree 100%! We did the taxes under my wife’s account and I don’t have visibility to my return. I also don’t have her login credentials (nor do I want them) as sharing passwords is just plain bad practice.

At the very least, there could be a way to “invite” a user to your tax return by email. I can see plenty of needs for this functionality, 1) Spouse, 2) One’s Accountant, 3) Helping a child or an elderly parent with their returns.

I would recommend having 3 roles that can be granted: 1) Admin, 2) Contributor, 3) Reader