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Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

I don't have to file taxes for 2019 since I got my social security number late in the year and didn't make enough to necessitate filing. I am married but the stimulus registration is not allowing me to register without saying my husband and I are filing separately. 

 

I just want to submit my information to register for the stimulus. If I say "filing jointly" would that later affect us since he's filing separately?

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6 Replies
GiseleD
Expert Alumni

Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

If you are both filing separately, you will want to register as "single" in the stimulus registration tool. Please do not choose "Married filing jointly" if you do not plan to jointly file. 

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Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

I attempted to put "single" on my registration form and I was rejected.

 

My wife filed taxes earlier this year but she filed "Married Filing Separately".

 

It tells me that I'm rejected because I'm listed on her return.

 

What should I do?

JohnB5677
Employee Tax Expert

Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

You should file as married filing separate.  You will have to take your deductions the same way she did.  That is Standard Deduction, or Itemized Deductions.

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Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

Did you figure this out? I’m in the same boat. I am not required to file a tax return. When I try to complete the stimulus only return, it won’t let me file as married filing separately and rejects me if I put single.  

s054
Returning Member

Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

Well, you probably are required to file a tax return, believe it or not.

 

I think the reason you were rejected was that Married filing Separately needs to report any income over $5. So almost all people in that situation would have to file a full tax return with details about their income and sources.

 

So once you decide that you will be filing separately, you will be required to file a tax return. Or once your spouse files as separate, you are required to do so as well, and then are required to file a full tax return. There isn't much of a real-world possibility of a Married filing Separately who is not required to file.  

 

I think that since very few people make less than $5 per year, by default your registration is rejected (the stimulus registration is actually just a simplified tax return). Or maybe it's a bug in the system, since there are some people who do not make $5 per year, yet the system is not allowing any simplified stimulus registration via e-file for married filing separately. So it's a little funny, that there is an option for filing separately, yet all will be rejected.

 

I think you need to file a full tax return. This would be even in the case that you do not make $5 per year, because of this bug. You should be able to E-file that way.

Stimulus Registration Filing Separately

Not sure if anyone still need a fix on this. I actually found a solution on another tax prep website when I tried to do it on there site. I abandoned that return and came back to turbo tax so I wouldn’t have to refill everything on the other site. I don’t need to file for a return since I have no income, need to file married filing separately, and have tried all the other options that TurboTax suggested and the nonfilers tool all with rejections. BUT this direction worked and my return was ACCEPTED. I had to file an actual regular return, not the stimulus return, as married filing separately AND for income you have to click for 1099-int, put $1 for the amount, select other for financial institution, and type “Stimulus payment”. I tried just doing a regular return without the 1099, but it kept getting rejected saying I was missing information, and I would go back and see a 1099-int form had populated with no information in it, I’d delete it, submit again, and then the same thing would happen. So apparently that is the work around, but almost no one is advertising it. 
Hope this works for you!

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