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janknepper
Returning Member

Why does TurboTax prevent e-filing when: "MFS" and "owned jointly"?

TurboTax is preventing me from e-filing.
My wife decided that she wanted to file separately.
We own several houses together that are rental properties.
TurboTax "Check e-file Status" fail on the check:

Message:
"Schedule E Worksheet (<address>): Owned jointly should not be checked. Your filing status is not married filing jointly."

Then is refuses to e-file.

This is absolutely dumb. Because this is *exactly* what we are doing.
MFS and "owned jointly".
There is no *override*, as TurboTax offers in many other cases: This is *unusual* but it can happen.

So, what is the solution?
This situation will likely go on for years to come.

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3 Replies
SusanY1
Expert Alumni

Why does TurboTax prevent e-filing when: "MFS" and "owned jointly"?

You will have to change the status of the ownership to remove the "joint" designation in TurboTax.

For purposes of your tax return filing, it is referring to who owns that set of income and expenses so that it can allocate them properly on the return, rather than who legally owns the actual property.   Since there is no spouse on the return to allocate part of the income to, the field(s) need to be updated. 

You should have already allocated the income and expenses before entering the data so that only your agreed upon portion is shown on the tax return.  Then you mark that as belonging to you. 

This doesn't change or affect the legal ownership of the property in any way.  

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janknepper
Returning Member

Why does TurboTax prevent e-filing when: "MFS" and "owned jointly"?

That makes absolutely no sense!
The properties are "Owned jointly".
We share the income/expenses on the properties 50%/50%.
This is exactly what I input in TurboTax.
This is exactly what my wife is filing with her Tax return.
It is absolutely a valid situation.
It is just that TurboTax is dumb about this and does and prevents this situation from e-filing.
One of us taking the full income and expenses for the property would push that person in the next tax bracket!!!
Then we both lose! Great!

janknepper
Returning Member

Why does TurboTax prevent e-filing when: "MFS" and "owned jointly"?

I mean this is really how dumb this is...
Question N and O on the same form:
Ownership Percentage:
N Check to allocate income and expenses using ownership percentage ..... [X]
O Enter ownership percentage ......................................50.000000 %
So, according to TurboTax we MFS we can not "Owned Jointly", but yet we can file the income and expenses 50/50...
TurboTax does not fall over these.
But it has an issue with question "B Owned jointly" being checked.
They really have to fix this check for e-filing.

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