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RK95
Returning Member

Salaried Spouse (W-2) and Self Employed Spouse

Hi,

 

My spouse is employed, W-2 employee, and I am considering starting a small business, where I will be the sole owner. We want to be as close to a $0 refund as possible. 

 

Do we account for any income or losses the business generates on our W-4?

 

Would this be considered two total jobs on the W-4 or would it just be counted as one total job?

 

We typically file married filing jointly, but for our goal of receiving a $0 refund/owing, would it be better to file married filing separately?

 

Thank you for your assistance!

 

 

 

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2 Replies

Salaried Spouse (W-2) and Self Employed Spouse

Married filing separately is usually the worst way to file----the self-employment income you will have is not a good reason to file separate returns.

 

 

If you were legally married at the end of 2024your filing choices will bemarried 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 $29,200 (+$1500 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 since with online, you get one return per fee.

 

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...

 

 

 

The spouse with W-2 income can increase their tax withheld, and/or the self-employed spouse can start making estimated quarterly tax payments for the self-employment income.

 

You have self-employment income for which you will pay self-employment tax for Social Security and Medicare.   You will need to use online Premium software or any version of the CD/download so that you can prepare a Schedule C for your business expenses.

 

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2926899-how-does-my-side-job-affect-my-taxes

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/form-1099-nec/1099-nec/L5qTsBiSe_US_en_U...

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/how-do-i-report-income-from-self-employment/00/...

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/self-employed/help/what-is-the-self-employment-tax/00/25922

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2902389-why-am-i-paying-self-employment-tax

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901340-where-do-i-enter-schedule-c

 

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3398950-what-self-employed-expenses-can-i-deduct

 

 

https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/self-employed/self-employed-tax-deductions-

calculator-2021-2022-50907/

 

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901110-do-i-need-to-make-estimated-tax-payments-to-the-irs

 

 

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/calculators/self-employed/

 

 

 

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
RK95
Returning Member

Salaried Spouse (W-2) and Self Employed Spouse

Thank you for your help!

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