Testing Separate vs Joint Returns

[chelsykay]

My spouse and I both prepared "Married Filing Separately" returns on our own TurboTax online profiles, and now want to file jointly, to see what the difference would be. We're doing the "jointly" on my account, since I have more complicated info. Do I need to "clear and start over," since I ran the numbers for a "separate" return, or can I just simply change the status to "Married Filing Jointly," and go through the return again, adding his info? I'm afraid some of the calculations or answers may be off now, since I began with filing "separately." 

[JuttaS]

You can go through your separate return from the beginning (Personal section) and walk through it again, adding and updating as you go.

Unfortunately the online version isn't well-suited for this 'what if' scenario - the desktop cd/download software has  "forms mode" where all you do is click a checkbox to compare joint vs separate filing status.

[chelsykay]

Thank you so much! I was afraid I would need to clear everything and start the return from scratch. I've changed the status to "jointly" and will add/edit, as I go along. I appreciate your input!