If we are married filing separately who claims the joint investment income (1099 div)?

[SeanE1 · Accepted solution]

If you are married filing separately you would each take a portion of the whole.  Most people do a 50/50 split and there are a few that take it proportionately to their incomes.  For example, if one spouse earns $75,000 and the second spouse earns $25,000, the first would take 75% of the total while the second spouse would take 25% of the total.

[cnm2319]

Can one spouse elect to take all of the 1099-Div income? For instance married filing separately where one spouse, head of household due to a minor child has higher income  and the other spouse, single filing separately has a lower income.  The spouse with the lower income is the SSN on the 1099-DIV but it is a joint account.

[macuser_22]

@cnm2319 - Note that Head of Household is for unmarried persons or considered unmarried if the spouses are separated and did did not live together at any time during the last 6 months of 2016.  If you lived together then you cannot file HOH.

[cnm2319]

@macuser_22 We are separated and did not live together at all during 2016.