Do you mean your spouse (or spouse-to-be) owes back child support? When you file a joint tax return with a spouse who owes child support, your refund will be seized for the child support. Sometimes you can file as the "injured spouse" to protect the part of the refund that can be attributed to your earnings. If you live in a community property state it gets pretty tricky. Or you can file separate returns, but that has some big disadvantages including losing earned income credit and education credits.
And...currently--a person who owes back child support cannot get the stimulus money.
Community property states: AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states
INJURED SPOUSE
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1910698-how-do-i-file-form-8379-injured-spouse-allocation
If you were legally married at the end of 2019 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 get the married filing jointly standard deduction of $24,400 (+$1300 for each spouse 65 or older) 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. Your limit for SALT (state and local taxes and sales tax) will be only $5000 per spouse. 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
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
