My spouses only income is from social security. married filing jointly calculates our tax owed at $3200. Married separately drops it to $2000. Why is this and should I go the separately route?

[KatrinaB]

It sounds as if the added social security income is causing you to owe more tax. You should certainly file as married filing separately if that saves you money. In that case, your spouse is not required to file. However, if you live in a community property state then the rules are different and you need to split all income and deductions. 

Please view the TurboTax FAQ below to see how the portion of taxable social security benefits is calculated.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3299920

[Edited 04/03/2019 I 7:30 PM]

[SweetieJean]

"In that case, your spouse is not required to file."
Yes, Spouse is required to file, and report his Social Security.
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