I am married and we would like to file taxes jointly, but when we file it, are we going to be able to see how much would we each owe separately ?

[Zemunac]

We will definitely file taxes jointly, but just as information for us, are we going to be able to see how much we each owe separately? Thank You

[rjs · Accepted solution]

On a joint tax return there's really no way to determine how much of the tax each spouse is responsible for. You don't "each owe separately." Everything on a joint return is pooled. Your total tax is calculated on your total taxable income. Your deductions are added together and the totals are subject to a single set of thresholds and limits. A change in one person's income or deductions can affect the other person's income or deductions. You don't each pay a certain amount of tax. The two of you together pay the total tax.

[DoninGA]

No, you will not see how much is owed separately if you owe taxes and are filing as Married Filing Jointly.

[Zemunac]

Even if one of us is getting a refund and one of us owe money, we will not find out who owes and who is getting a refund and numbers with that?

[DoninGA]

On a joint tax return any tax refund is for both of you as any taxes owed is owed by both of you.
There is no splitting out of who gets a tax refund and who owes taxes on a joint return.

[VolvoGirl]

Unless you have a specific reason to file separate returns,
It is usually better to file Joint. Joint has the lowest tax rates and the highest Standard Deduction.   And if you are in a Community Property state MFS gets tricky to figure out.  Here's some things to consider about filing separately……

In the first place you each have to file a separate return, so that's two returns.  And if you are using the Online version that means using 2 accounts and paying the fees twice.  So to compare Joint to Separate you would have to set up 3 online accounts to test, one Joint and 1 each for Separate.  You don't have to pay unless you want to print one out or file it.
 
Many people think they come out better when filing Married Filing Separate but they are probably doing it wrong.  If one person itemizes deductions then the other one must itemize too, even if it's less than the standard deduction, even if it is ZERO!  
 
And there are several credits you can't take when filing separately, like the
EITC Earned Income Tax Credit
Child Care Credit
Educational Deductions and Credits

And contributions to IRA and ROTH IRA are limited when you file MFS.

Also if you file Married Filing Separately up to 85`% of your Social Security becomes taxable right away even with zero other income.

See …….
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately

[karinm1971]

I so TOTALLY get your question, and am amazed that not only do people not have an answer, they seem to not think there's a real question there. It's obvious that if one person didn't pay enough, say, estimated taxes and therefore owes money, and the other person way overpaid and gets a refund, that a couple is going to want to disentangle that. I believe I heard from a turbotax person on their customer service line that if you do your taxes online (I'm behind and so have been having to use the downloaded TT software), you can click a button to see whether it's more beneficial to file separately/jointly. I would think that even if you're not wondering which system to use, that this way of checking would show how much each of you would owe if you filed separately, and there's your answer.  I also found a website that does a quick and dirty calculation of each person's situation to give an estimate of how much each owes, but I can't find the URL at the moment...  Karin

[xmasbaby0]

@karinm1971 You are posting to a very old thread that has had no activity for years.   There is no way to "click" a comparison to MFJ to MFS using online TurboTax software.   It requires a lot more effort.

It is not easy to compare MFJ to MFS using online TT but you can do it.  Since you only get one return for each account and user ID, you have to use 3 accounts and user ID’s—one for MFJ and two for each of the MFS returns.  Compare, choose, and file—and pay—accordingly.

It is much easier to do this comparison using the desktop version of TT installed from a CD or downloaded to your own computer.  You pay once for the software and you can prepare multiple returns easily, and it has a “what if” feature that allows comparisons.

Meanwhile....if you need more information on the differences between filing a joint return or filing separate returns:

If you were legally married at the end of 2022 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will get the married filing jointly standard deduction of $25,900 (+$1400 for each spouse 65 or older)  You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit. 

If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return. Some of the special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, adoption credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. Your limit for SALT (state and local taxes and sales tax) will be only $5000 per spouse. In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be affected. If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. ( Community property states:  AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI)

 If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...

[karinm1971]

Hi! Thanks for your note. I know the considerations and am filing jointly.

I have done the two types using the downloaded software and that's the obvious way to find out the answer to my question. But it requires a hell of a lot of work entering in all of that information twice. Hours. Hence my looking for a quick way.  I will dig up that quick-and-dirty calculation at the URL I've misplaced...  And retain hope that the woman at TT was right that you can compare easily using the online version!

Karin

[xmasbaby0]

@karinm1971 Either you misunderstood or you spoke to someone at TT who had no idea----there is not a way to just click on a comparison for MFJ vs. MFS using online TT.  Good luck with your internet search for an easy way.

[karinm1971]

Thank you! Have a great day!

[Critter-3]

How can we compare married filing jointly with married filing separately?

If you already created a joint return in the TurboTax CD/Download software, there's a quick way to see how filing separately affects your federal return.

Note: This won't work in TurboTax Online.

1. Open your return and select Forms in the top right corner of the window.
2. Click Open Form and type What-If Worksheet (it may appear as What-If Wks).
3. Check the MFJ vs. MFS box at the top.
4. Scroll down to Balance Due (Refund).
   • The second column shows the federal outcome for a joint return, and the third and fourth columns, respectively, show the outcome for the taxpayer and spouse if filing separately.
   • Negative numbers are refunds, positive numbers are taxes due.

However, this doesn't give you the whole picture because it doesn't account for your state return. For a true apples to apples comparison, you'll need to prepare your returns both ways.

[karinm1971]

Wow! Thank you so much! This is what I needed. One funny thing is that it is splitting some of the investment income equally between the two of us even though I noted for every scrap of income whose it belonged to, but I'll see if I can fix that. 

Apparently the TT person I talked to had it backwards -- I may use the downloaded software every year now to get this feature (was assuming I'd switch to online next year).

Thanks again,

Karin

[Critter-3]

The system is not perfect ... some entries don't allow a his/her designation. 

And the downloaded program is better as well as cheaper since you  never need more than the Deluxe version (Basic if you don't need a state return) as all the downloaded versions handle all the same forms.

This is my mini version of  a tutorial  that should be in the downloaded program: 

 

What is Forms Mode?

Forms Mode lets you view and make changes to your tax forms "behind the scenes."

If you're adventurous, you can even prepare your return in Forms Mode, but we don't recommend it. You may miss obscure credits and deductions you qualify for, and you may forget to report things that will come back and haunt you later.

Forms Mode is exclusively available in the TurboTax CD/Download software. It is not available in TurboTax Online.

Related Information:

• Why would I use Forms Mode?
• How do I switch to Forms Mode in the TurboTax for Windows software?
• How do I switch to Forms Mode in the TurboTax for Mac software?
• What is-the-meaning-of-all-the-different-colors-in-forms-mode
• How to delete a form

If you want to play around with different figures and tax scenarios without affecting your original return you can ….

• >>>In the TurboTax CD/Download software by creating a test copy: 
• 1.  Open your return in TurboTax. 
• 2.  From the File menu, choose Save As. 
• 3.  Give the copy a new name to distinguish it from the original (for example, by adding "Test" or "Example" to the file name). 
• 4. Click  Save. You are now safely working in the test copy and anything you do here will not affect the original. 
•  https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1900642-how-to-make-a-test-copy-of-your-return

• >>  use the WHAT IF tool: 
• - Click Forms Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 2 (forms view) 
• - Click on the Open Form Icon 
• - In the “Type a form name.” area type What-If (with the dash), click on the name of the worksheet - click on Open Form 
• - You will see the worksheet on the right side of the screen; enter the information right into the form 
• - To get back to interview mode - click on the Step-by-Step Icon (upper right of screen) or Ctrl 1

Once you have filed successfully … you can shut off the auto updater function and then save the return &  .taxfile.

For Windows, up in the top menu, you  can set the  "Updater Preferences" to "Always Ask" or more commonly set to "I don't have an internet connection"  (even if you do), and then you are not forced to update....and can manually force an update when you choose to do so.   And then you can open the file(s) at any time with no forced upgrade.

But that's the Windows software.....not a MAC. For a MAC you cannot turn off the auto updater  HOWEVER  you can simply disconnect from the internet before opening the tax return.

It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your tax data file, in case your original gets lost or corrupted. Here's how:

1. From the File menu in the upper-left corner of TurboTax, choose Save As (Windows) or Save (Mac).
2. Browse to where you want to save your backup.
   • Tip: If you're saving to a portable device, save it to your computer first to prevent data corruption. Then, after completing Step 4, copy or move the backup file to your device.
3. In the File name field, enter a name that will distinguish it from the original tax file (for example, add "Backup" or "Copy" to the file name)
4. Click Save and then close TurboTax.
5. Restart TurboTax and open the backup copy to make sure it's not corrupted. If you get an error, delete the backup and repeat these steps.

If you make changes to your original tax return file, repeat these steps to ensure your original and backup copies are in-synch.

Related Information:                             

• Retrieve a Tax File from a Portable Device
• What's the difference between the tax data file and the PDF file?

AND save it as a PDF so you have access to a copy even if you don’t have the program still installed and operational :

• How do I save my return as a PDF in the TurboTax software for Windows?
• How do I save my return as a PDF in the TurboTax software for Mac?

AND protect the files :

• How can I protect the tax files on my computer?

*** Other clues to the downloaded program ***

In the forms mode ... double click  or right click on a box on a form to data source it ... sadly it doesn't work on all boxes. 

What's the meaning of all the different colors in Forms Mode?

When you look at an onscreen tax form using Forms Mode, you might wonder why one figure is blue and the one next to it is red or black.

These colors indicate the source of that data.

Color	Meaning
Blue	You entered this data, either in the interview or Forms Mode.
Black	The program entered this data or calculated this amount.
Red	This data has either been overridden or is invalid (for example, a ZIP code that doesn't exist).
Red italics	You marked this amount as estimated.
Black italics	The program calculated this amount from an amount you marked as estimated.
Purple	This information has supporting details.
Aquamarine	This data was transferred over from last year.
Green	This data was imported from Quicken or QuickBooks.
Yellow fields (Windows)	Yellow fields allow user input. Anything you enter here shows up in blue.

[Mike9241]

there is no quick way in TurboTax. you need to create 3 returns 1 joint and 2 single/married filing separately.

that's because you may find that the total taxes on the two separate returns is not the same as the taxes on the joint return.  even then you have to decide on how "joint" items are to be split such as deductible expenses and joint income if you have dependents on whose return do they go. 

the tax programs pros used sometimes can do MFS from a joint return. joint expenses are split 50/50 unless the program allows denoting H,W, or J.