Wife Files married but separate and usually wait for me to file to get Her refund Do I file if I did not work at all last year?

[cmtcmtjr]

I filed with TurboTax to previous year when I did work.

[AmyC]

No, you are not required to file if you had no income. Take a quick quiz, Filing requirement if you are uncertain.

Please see:

• Is it better for a married couple to file jointly or separately?
• What is an innocent spouse and how does it differ from an injured spouse?

[VolvoGirl]

Why aren’t you filing a Joint return, especially if you have no income?  Joint is better and has a higher Standard Deduction and other advantages.

Many people think they come out better when filing Married Filing Separate but they are probably doing it wrong.  If one person itemizes deductions on Schedule A then the other one must itemize too, even if it's less than the standard deduction, even if it is ZERO!  And if you are in a Community Property state it can be complicated to figure out.

And there are several credits you can't take when filing separately, like the

EITC Earned Income Tax Credit

Child Care Credit

Educational Deductions and Credits

And contributions to IRA and ROTH IRA are limited when you file MFS.

Also if you file Married Filing Separately up to 85`% of your Social Security becomes taxable right away even with zero other income.

See …….

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/married/help/is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-...