If my husband hasn't filed in 10 years, should I go ahead&file married but seperate or should we get a professional to help? He hasn't made more than $30g/yr besides once

[merrydropins]

In 2017,he made $60g. I only make $20g/yr. We have 3 kids that I have claimed. We don't have any assets other than vehicles less than $10g each. We don't have any other income,we have no other accounts,nothing. Not sure how much he might owe but want to do it right. Any advice?

[JohnW15 · Accepted solution]

There’s a lot to consider here.

First, if you husband hasn’t filed a return in 10 years because he hasn’t had a filing requirement for those years – that is, he hasn’t had enough income to be required to file – then his non-filing shouldn’t have any bearing on what filing status you use.  The IRS has an interactive tool that’ll help you see if there’s a filing requirement for the last three years at Do I Need to File a Tax Return?.

However, if your husband hasn’t filed for those years but had a filing requirement, and could have IRS tax debts related to non-filing, then filing separately might be a good option.  See the “Why would I want to file separately?” link in the TurboTax FAQ, below.

But generally speaking, filing your federal return jointly will provide larger overall benefits, lower your taxes, and make you eligible for more credits compare to if each of you filed separately.  In your case, for example, filing jointly may allow you to claim Child and Dependent Care Expenses, and may increase any Child Tax Credit to which you’re entitle.

However, a number of variables could apply.  Please see the TurboTax FAQ below, paying particular attention to the “Want to Compare?” and “Why would I want to file separately?” links.

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