How to enter Kay Bailey Hutchinson spousal IRA contribution

[fitzpatrickegna]

We file MFJ and both have retirement income. I still work part-time and made a non-deductible contribution (at the maximum allowable limit) to my IRA for 2024 and (because my spouse is retired) to my spouse's IRA as allowed by law. In TurboTax, there is no prompt for the spousal IRA contribution (if I enter the amount for my spouse as their IRA contribution, the software indicates we made an excess contribution). How do I enter the information for the spousal contribution (put the total of both under my annual contribution?)?

[dmertz · Accepted solution]

A spousal contribution is an ordinary contribution and is to be entered the same way as your own contribution.  Under Deductions & Credits, mark the box to indicate that your spouse has an IRA and, when asked, indicate that your spouse made an IRA contribution.  Do not enter it as part of your own IRA contribution; a spousal contribution is your spouse's contribution to your spouse's IRA.

Since your spouse is retired, presumably your spouse has no compensation, so your spouse meets the requirement that your spouse's compensation must be less than your own for your spouse to be eligible to make a spousal IRA contribution.  The total of your own IRA contribution and your spouse's IRA contribution is not permitted to exceed your compensation.