My spouse already filed and received his amended return but we never entered my income info. We have 2 separate Turbotax accounts. Now my returns keep getting rejected because my SSN was listed alread

[theonlymichelle]

Do I sign into his Turbotax account and fill out 1040x or do I mail mine by paper? We didn't know we were supposed to file everything together

[SweetieJean]

He filed an initial return and then an amended one?  Were both Married Joint?

[Opus 17]

Sigh.

Most married couples choose to file "married filing jointly".  You list all income and deductions for both spouses on one tax return.  In Turbotax, you would do this from one single account.  If this is your first year being married, you would choose one account and add the other spouse's information.  Or better, start a new joint account.

Sometimes, married couples will file as "married filing separately" -- each spouse has a single tax return that lists only their income and deductions.  Separate filing may have advantages in some cases, but most of the time it results in smaller refunds or owing higher taxes, since many deductions and credits are limited or disallowed.

You first need to identify what you actually did.
How did your spouse file their first return, what status and what was included?
Why did your spouse amend?
If you have not already filed a return, why not?  Are you trying to file separately for a reason you can explain, or are you just confused and prefer to file jointly?

[theonlymichelle]

It's our 1st year being married. Initially he filed early (as married filing separately) then he did amended return to change to "jointly".

[Opus 17]

Then you don't file anything in your own name.  However, did the joint return include your income and deductions or only his?

If the amended joint return included all your combined income and deductions then you are finished.  If you still need to add your income, then you need to make a second amended return.  This is a little complicated in Turbotax.  If you are using Turbotax Online and you need to make a second amended return, I will see if I can find some more technical help for you.

[theonlymichelle]

Yes, unfortunately only his income and deductions were input into turbotax- none of mine (thought I could do it under my account since mine is more complicated.)

[Opus 17]

@Hal_Al @DoninGA @rjs do you have a method where a TT Online user can amend twice?  My understanding is that it can't be done routinely and you have to do quite a bit of leg work.

[VolvoGirl]

That’s too bad.  Then you should have used your account to do the Joint return and added him to yours.  Now you will have to amend the Joint return a second time and add all your info manually.  Sorry, you can’t transfer your info.

[Critter]

If you had only asked this question BEFORE you filed or BEFORE he amended his return you would have had a much easier time.  Amending an amended return is not easy especially if you are using the Online version.  You may wish to see local professional assistance with this matter. 

[rjs]

@Opus 17  - I don't think it can be done at all in TurboTax Online. The user would have to switch to the CD or download software, and even then it's messy and difficult. I'll elaborate in the Lounge.

[SweetieJean]

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/4367032-can-i-amend-an-amended-tax-return">https://ttlc.intuit.com...>

[macuser_22]

It is difficult enough to amend a previously amended return when using the CD/download desktop version where you can copy (duplicate) tax data files, but darned near impossible with the online products.

Since the OP(s) have already made compound errors and are not familiar with filing tax returns, at this point I would recommend printing out all the tax returns and take them to a tax professional to properly file a 2nd amended return using their professional software to do so.   

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

So here's the problem with this forum; at this time of year, we are all volunteers, and professional Turbotax people almost never post.  We can make the desktop program dance on its head if we want but we rarely  use TT online and rarely amend, because we are pros or semi-pros and try to get it right the first time.  So we may not have specific experience for this situation.

In the past, Turbotax was very bad at making more than one amended return, and it required manual adjustments.

However, it seems the program has been changed and the the current version of Turbotax seems to understand making more than one amended return, at least for the version installed on my computer.  It asks do you really want to make another amendment, and it asks if the first amended return was processed with the refund paid, or not (which was in your case) but then lets you amend your return a second time.

Assuming this works, you will still need to add your complicated information–manually–to your spouse's return when making the second amended return.  You can't under any circumstance simply file a separate return with your information, by mail or electronically.  And, if you originally filed with the free version, and your more complicated version requires forms not included in the free version, you may need to pay for an upgrade.

The second amended return will also need to be printed, signed and mailed to the IRS.  It will include a form 1040X cover page and all the other tax forms and schedules required (1040, schedule A, maybe schedule C or D depending on your situation).  Review the return carefully before mailing to insure it lists all your combined income and deductions for the year.

If you are unsure, or if you run into trouble, you might want professional help this year.  Remember next year, you will file one combined return listing all income and deductions.  Given the issues this year, then next year you will be best off making a new Turbotax account and entering all your tax information for both of you from scratch, rather than trying to import from one or the other single account.  And, because of the amended returns, your AGIs will probably not allow you to e-file.  You can use your self-selected PINs, if you know them, or you will need to file by mail when you file your 2018 return in the spring of 2019.

Good luck.

[Carl]

Also, don't amend your return a 2nd time, until the first amended return has processed, and you have received any refund if one is due. This can take as long as 16 weeks, or as short as 8 weeks.
Understand also that when you amend a 2nd time, you will be paying back some of that refund you received on the previously amended return, along with interest and penalties.

[Opus 17]

@Carl Customer already received refund from first amended return (top of thread).

Also, @theonlymichelle and anyone else; a clarification:

The reason you can't file a separate return at this point is that, once you file a married filing joint return, and it is after the April 15 deadline, the IRS does not allow you to amend to two married filing separately (MFS) returns.  This is just the regulations (or maybe the law).   You can change from 2 MFS returns to one MFJ return at any time, but you can't amend MFJ to MFS after the April 15 filing deadline.  The only way to file separately now would be to state that your spouse filed a joint return fraudulently and without your permission, and there are obviously legal reasons why you don't want to do that.

However, if your spouse had filed an MFS return, you would have the choice of filing your own separate return.  And you could do that next year if you want.  But filing MFS almost always results in higher tax owed.