Turbotax changes my Virginia Filing Status and I can't change it back.

[Spacepup]

I'm trying to file Married Filing Separately on a Joint Virginia return. 760PY, filling status 4. This is because my wife was a full time resident, and I only moved to Virginia in March.

Turbotax starts me on Filling Status 4, but after entering the Virginia income allocation, it tells me that my Personal Deduction is greater than my wife's salary, so it's changing us to filing jointly.

I highly doubt whatever personal exception Virginia has is greater than my wife's full-year salary. It specifically says that my WIFEs salary is less than MY personal exemption. It might be that MY Virginia income is less than the personal deduction, since I haven't found a job since I moved and my only income is less than any of Virginia separate or married deductions.

Maybe I'm allowed to File Jointly in this case, but now Turbotax is asking me to add my wife's prior state of residence and dates of Virginia residence, even though she has been a full-year resident.

Is there any way I can force Turbotax to stick to the Filling Status 4, instead of switching to Status 2?

[MarilynG1]

Your wife could file a separate Virginia Resident return, as she was a full-year resident, reporting only her income/tax paid there. 

If you had no Virginia income/tax to report, you don't need to file a separate return there.

Click this link for info on Filing Virginia Separate Returns. 

If you do need to file a Separate Part-Year Resident State Return for the state you lived in previously, click this link for instructions on Filing Separate States when Married Filing Jointly for Federal.

This link gives info on How to File a Part Year Resident Return. 

[Spacepup]

OK, for anyone who comes through and sees this later, it looks like I can go back and change the Filing Status for my Virginia returns.

When I just "Start Over" or go through the creation of my Virginia returns normally, it starts me on the Status 4 like I want, but at the end it moves me to status 2, with no other option to move on. I found if I then review the return, and specifically review the filing status, I can select the status 4. I'm going over the printout of my Virginia return real closely now just to make sure nothing looks crazy, but I hope that fixed it. I really didn't want to try to work out a partial refund and do my Virginia taxes by hand.

[Spacepup]

Whelp, Turbotax is refusing to file my Virginia returns electronically. Even though the 760PY status 4 is for when one spouse is a permanent resident, and the other is a partial-year resident, Turbotax refuses to file unless I enter the state my wife moved from in 2020(She didn't). So I still might have to mail in my Virginia return.

[Peggy2956]

I am having a similar problem. TT won't let me file a VA 760PY electronically b/c it is insisting that I add a move in or move out date for the full year VA resident.  I can't override the date issue.  HELP.  (Filing as a Status 2)

[ThomasM125]

The best and perhaps the only way to file married-separate on a state return is to start out with a married-separate federal return. So, you will need to set up a new account if filing online with TurboTax and complete a federal return filing as married-separate, then the state return will not be working off information from your spouse on the federal return. To file the returns, file your federal joint return separate from the state returns.

It may be better to use the desktop version of TurboTax to do this as you can prepare multiple returns using one software product. You can download your online version of your TurboTax file so you can use it on the desktop version of TurboTax. You will see an option for this by using the Tools options on your left menu bar, and then Tax Tools. 

You can purchase the download version of TurboTax here:  TurboTax desktop product