Just married, new filling status

[Cwolfe679]

Me and my wife recently married in November of 2020, we have never filed our taxes before. We are a young married couple, me 20 her 19, and we are kinda lost in the dark. We have an issue as well my wife has worked multiple jobs and has multiple W2 Forms. All of them are filled single, I have one with my job now amd it’s also single I can ask my job to change my status and that’s a quick fix but what my wife’s W2’s? 

[DoninGA]

How you listed your status on the W-4 you gave to the employer for tax withholding has no relevance when filing your tax return.  

Since you are legally married you should be filing as Married Filing Jointly.  On the tax return use the name that is on your current Social Security cards.

Enter each W-2 separately for each of you.  After competing one W-2 the program will ask if you have anothter W-3 to enter.  Make sure you indicate who the W-2 belongs to when entering the W-2.

[VolvoGirl]

You can't change the W2s you received.  And what you claim at work Single or Married does not have to match your actual tax return.  That's just to tell the employer how much to take out.  If you have multiple jobs you might want to leave it at Single.  Because when you have more than 1 job or are Married the combined income will be taxed higher than each job separately.  So you may want to have more withholding.

Here's some general info on getting married.  Did you both use Turbo Tax last year?

You can not transfer from or combine 2 returns or accounts.  Just pick the return for the spouse that has the most complicated return to enter or has any depreciation or business or  more investments.  Or use the account for whoever you want to be listed first going forward (by the way you can not change the order of the names).  Then add the other spouse's name, ssn and info to it.

You should usually  file a Joint return which is only 1 return combined for the both of you.  Make sure to stick with this one account for the future.  Just ignore the other spouse's account.

Getting Married FAQ

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/tax-filing-status/help/what-does-getting-married-mean-for-my-taxes...

And info on Getting Married…..

http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Family/Getting-Married/INF12006.html

Is it better to file Joint or Separately?

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

Compare Joint to Married Filing Separately

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2895312-how-can-we-compare-married-filing-jointly-with-married-fil...

[Cwolfe679]

Thank you, so if I change my filling status on my W4 would that change anything at all? My boss handed me a new W-4 to fill out. Me and my wife just enter both of our W-2’s with the status of “married filling jointly” correct? 

[DoninGA]

---

@Cwolfe679 wrote:

Thank you, so if I change my filling status on my W4 would that change anything at all? My boss handed me a new W-4 to fill out. Me and my wife just enter both of our W-2’s with the status of “married filling jointly” correct? 

---

Correct.  You can change the W-4 if you choose to do so.  However, the W-4 only affects the amount of taxes withheld from your wages.

Go to this IRS website for a federal tax withholding estimator - https://www.irs.gov/payments/tax-withholding

[Cwolfe679]

Your advice is to file on one account use only one W-2 and then use that account for the remainder? I apologize if I ask stupid questions taxes are alien to me in every way, shape, and form.

[Cwolfe679]

Brilliant, thank you all so much for the advice. Have a wonderful day

[VolvoGirl]

---

@Cwolfe679 wrote:

Your advice is to file on one account use only one W-2 and then use that account for the remainder? I apologize if I ask stupid questions taxes are alien to me in every way, shape, and form.

---

Huh?  You should file 1 tax return form 1040 as Joint.  Joint is one return combined for the both of you.  You enter all your W2s into the same tax return.  After you enter a W2 you can enter the next one.  Do not file until you have entered all the W2s and any 1099 you get and any other income or deductions etc.   Make sure when you enter a W2 you select the right person.  It will affect your return if you assign a W2 to the wrong spouse.

To add a  W2 just type w2 (small W)  in the search box at the top of your return and click on Jump To the W2

OR  To Add a W2 enter it under

Federal Taxes on the left side

Wages & Income  

Then Wages and Salaries- Click the Start or Update button

Then if you are married you should have 2 buttons...Add w-2 for (taxpayer name) and Add w-2 for (spouse name). Click on the correct button to add a W-2.

[Cwolfe679]

Thank you, these instructions help a lot hahah. I just want to make sure me and my wife get our full face return and stimulus checks. Trying to save up for Medschool and a child in the future.