Going through a separation and would love to know how each of these options will play out tax-wise without having to input all the ifno multiple times.
Changing the filing status between joint and separate "just to see" is asking for trouble. If you try to change it back it will cause errors that you won't be able to fix. Open a new TurboTax Online account for experimenting with a different filing status. You can have up to five accounts with the same email address. Be careful to keep track of the different accounts, and which one you are using for your real tax return.
The CD/Download software is better suited for trying out different scenarios. It lets you create as many trial returns as you want, and save each one with a different file name. You can save a copy of your completed tax return with a different file name, then try out the changes in the copy without affecting your actual tax return. The CD/download software also has a What-If Worksheet that lets you easily try out different scenarios using the completed return as a starting point, but without affecting the actual tax return, and it lets you compare the scenarios side-by-side.
You can purchase the download TurboTax software and move your TurboTax Online return to the download software. See the following FAQ for instructions to switch from TurboTax Online to the CD/Download TurboTax software.
How do I switch from TurboTax Online to the TurboTax software?
Another way to try out different scenarios is to use the online TaxCaster tool, which you can access at the following link.
You can create a mock return. You'll need a separate username/password but you can use the same email address.
Changing the filing status between joint and separate "just to see" is asking for trouble. If you try to change it back it will cause errors that you won't be able to fix. Open a new TurboTax Online account for experimenting with a different filing status. You can have up to five accounts with the same email address. Be careful to keep track of the different accounts, and which one you are using for your real tax return.
The CD/Download software is better suited for trying out different scenarios. It lets you create as many trial returns as you want, and save each one with a different file name. You can save a copy of your completed tax return with a different file name, then try out the changes in the copy without affecting your actual tax return. The CD/download software also has a What-If Worksheet that lets you easily try out different scenarios using the completed return as a starting point, but without affecting the actual tax return, and it lets you compare the scenarios side-by-side.
You can purchase the download TurboTax software and move your TurboTax Online return to the download software. See the following FAQ for instructions to switch from TurboTax Online to the CD/Download TurboTax software.
How do I switch from TurboTax Online to the TurboTax software?
Another way to try out different scenarios is to use the online TaxCaster tool, which you can access at the following link.