I need to adjust my status from single to married, filing single; My spouse lives in another country and doesn't have SSN. Can I still submit adjustment electronically?

[rjs]

The filing status that you want is married filing separately, not married filing single.

Did you already file your tax return as single? If so, you will have to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) to change it. The IRS just made a change, a few weeks ago, to allow an amended return to be e-filed with a change of filing status. I don't know if TurboTax has been updated to allow it, or whether they will allow it at all this year. But you have to file the amended return in any case. So try to e-file it. If it doesn't work you'll have to print the amended return, sign it, and file it by mail.

See the following FAQ for instructions to amend a 2021 tax return that you filed with TurboTax.

How do I amend my 2021 return?

Before you start to amend your return in TurboTax Online, be sure to download a PDF of your original tax return and save it on your own computer. Once you amend it, you will no longer be able to access the original in TurboTax.

It normally takes the IRS 16 weeks to process an amended return. But they are severely backlogged this year, so expect it to take much longer than that.

Don't file the amended return until your first return has been accepted and you have received the original refund.

If you filed a state tax return, you will have to amend that as well.

[Critter-3]

You cannot efile the amended return if the spouse doesn't have a valid EIN or SS# ... 

If you are a US citizen or US resident and your spouse does not have a Social Security number or an ITIN and you are not applying for an ITIN with the tax return then you can only file your tax return as Married Filing Separately.  Where asked to enter the spouse's Social Security number enter 999-88-9999.  You can only print and mail your tax return, it cannot be e-filed.  When you print the tax return erase the Social Security number for your spouse and manually enter NRA for non-resident alien.

See this TurboTax support FAQ for the procedure to print and mail a tax return using the online editions - https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1944348-how-do-i-print-and-mail-my-return-in-turbotax-online

[rjs]

Critter-3 is right. I forgot about needing a spouse's SSN or ITIN in order to e-file.

You don't have to enter a dummy spouse SSN in TurboTax. You can just leave it blank. Don't enter anything. You will get an the error in the error check, which you can ignore. Just click Continue when the error check tells you to enter the SSN. Then when you print the tax return the space for the spouse SSN will be blank, and you can just write in NRA.

[Opus 17]

If you have not filed yet, go to the personal information section and change from single to married filing separately.  Give the name and date of birth of your spouse and leave the SSN blank.  On the next page, check the box for "non-resident alien."  On the page after that, when the program asks if your spouse had income or will file a tax return, this is only asking if your spouse had US-source income or will file a US tax return.  If your spouse had overseas income and will file a tax return in their home country, but did not have US income and won't file a US tax return, you still answer "no."

Make any other changes needed.  You can't e-file.  Print your return and mail it to the IRS.  Use a mail service with tracking and proof of delivery.  If you owe tax, don't include a check.  Instead, make an online payment at www.irs.gov/payments, be sure to select "2021 form 1040" as the reason. 

If you already filed and need to file an amended return, wait for your first return to be processed and any refund to be paid.  Then go into Turbotax and indicate you need to file an amended return.  Follow the steps above.

In past years, you had to use a fake SSN to get past the error check.  If this is still true, try 999-88-9999.  After you print your return you have to use some white-out to cover the fake SSN and write "NRA" over it.  (Turbotax asking if your spouse is NRA is new, so maybe the program now includes "NRA" automatically.)