What do you do if you are married and your spouse refuses to share their SSN with you so you can file your taxes in a timely manner?

[xmasbaby0]

If you are legally married, your filing choices are to file married filing jointly or married filing separately.   If your spouse is refusing to share their SSN with you so that you can file tax returns, you have a much deeper problem than an income tax issue.    And we cannot help with that----you might need legal advice.   If you decide to file married filing separately, then file by mail and include a note at the top of the tax form that tells the IRS that your spouse refuses to provide their SSN.

Does your spouse owe back taxes, child support, or have some other significant debt  or income source that they are trying to conceal from you?   Did you get married recently, or has this been on ongoing issue in your marriage?   Has it been a long time since you filed a tax return?

[xmasbaby0]

@wendyhelson1 We have no details from you---so this is only speculation----if you are married but have lived apart for at least the last six months of 2024, and YOU have custody of the children, you may be able to file as Head of Household and would not need the spouse's SSN in order to do that.   Provide some details for us without any personal information like names, SSN's, emails, etc.

Am I Head of Household?

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894553-do-i-qualify-for-head-of-household

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2900097-what-is-a-qualifying-person-for-head-of-household

If you qualify as Head of Household, when you enter your marital status (single or married filing separately) into MyInfo, and then enter your qualifying dependent, TurboTax will offer HOH as your filing status.