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Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

My spouse has a Spanish surname, but we've never been asked about alien status in the past.
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9 Replies

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

When entering your spouse's personal information you did Not inadvertently indicate that they were a nonresident alien or dual-status alien spouse on this page?

alien spouse.JPG

 Remove the check on the box if you did and continue in the Personal Info section.

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

Thank you, I'm pretty certain that it was unchecked initially but then it was not showing me the page again to review. Cleared and started over and all is well now. Thanks

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

I just want to add I had the exact same experience this week. I backed out and made sure I hadn't checked it even - I had not. Then I went to check my own info to see if asked about myself and it did not, then after that it was gone, it didn't have the question anymore. Both my spouse and I are citizens. I am not sure if this is some weird AI thing, or what, but it has made me a bit uncomfortable with the reliability of using it this year. 

DaveF1006
Employee Tax Expert

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

No. You shouldn't have a problem to file Married Filing Jointly again this year. Your review of your own information must have corrected the issue.

 

@EV808 

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Epaul7
New Member

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

Same issue, my spouse and I are both US citizens and always have been, and I haven’t been to the screen to enter anything on him yet-still asking me if I want to treat him as a US resident. Very, very odd. 

AmyC
Employee Tax Expert

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

The 1040 changed this year and now asks for the election treatment of your spouse on the front. The program is newly changed to reflect the new changes. Please enter your spouse's information and review your entries for correct treatment.

 

@Epaul7 

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Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

The problem is "resident" is not the same as "citizen" legally. So if your spouse is a citizen neither yes or  no is correct, because the answer is they're a citizen. It's also a problem that it asks even when you don't indicate that they a resident (instead of a citizen) which is asked on one check box. It seems to be an error or a very poorly executed question. 

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.

I had this happen as well and I’ve never been asked this ever.. TURBO TAX I left you after 10

plus years of filing my taxes with you. You don’t have to treat me like a resident I am one.  I filed with H&R and wasn’t asked this

Why is Turbotax asking if I want to treat my US citizen spouse as a nonresident alien or dual-status alien? We've filed jointly for 39 years using Turbotax.


@Karirod1234 wrote:

I had this happen as well and I’ve never been asked this ever.. TURBO TAX I left you after 10

plus years of filing my taxes with you. You don’t have to treat me like a resident I am one.  I filed with H&R and wasn’t asked this


That can happen when entering a spouse's personal information in the My Info section of the program.  On the screen labeled Tell us a bit more about (spouse's name) the box labeled (spouse's name) is a nonresident alien or dual-status alien spouse has been checked.

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