Can I switch from Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) to Married Filing Separately (MFS) after already filing extension as MFJ?
I've been filing taxes with my husband as Married Filing Jointly for the past 12 years, but I'm wondering if I can make a change this year. Back in April, we filed an extension as MFJ, and our return is due this coming Monday. I just realized something important while preparing our taxes - if we file MFJ, we won't be able to claim the Qualified Business Income deduction for my consulting business because my husband's income is too high. If I switch to MFS, my consulting income would qualify for the QBI deduction since I was between full-time jobs last year and the consulting was my only source of income. My consulting brought in about $160k, so the QBI deduction would make a significant difference in our tax situation. The big question is: Can we change our filing status from MFJ to MFS at this point, even though we filed the extension as MFJ? I already paid estimated taxes when we filed for the extension that should cover our liability plus some extra. Is it too late to make this switch? Does filing the extension as MFJ lock us into that status?
20 comments
Join the conversation
Cassandra Moon
Yes, you can absolutely change your filing status from MFJ to MFS even though you filed an extension as MFJ. The extension form (4868) is just requesting additional time to file - it doesn't lock you into a particular filing status for your actual return. What's important to understand is that you have until the extended deadline (which would be October 15th for 2024 taxes) to decide on your final filing status. So you're still within the allowed timeframe to choose MFS if that works better for your situation with the QBI deduction. However, just make sure you've considered all the implications of switching to MFS. While you might gain the QBI deduction, MFS often results in higher overall taxes and you'll lose several tax benefits including student loan interest deductions, child tax credits, education credits, and retirement savings contributions credits. You'll also have lower income thresholds for tax brackets.
0 coins
Eli Wang
•Thank you so much for clarifying! That's a relief. I was worried that filing the extension as MFJ would lock us in. Do we need to file any special form to indicate we're changing from what we indicated on the extension? Also, how would the estimated tax payments I already made get allocated between our separate returns? I paid quite a bit with the extension filing.
0 coins
Cassandra Moon
•You don't need to file any special form to indicate you're changing from the status on your extension. When you file your actual returns as MFS, that's all you need to do - the IRS doesn't track or care about what you put on your extension form. For your estimated tax payments, you have options. You can allocate the payments between you however you choose when you file MFS, as long as the total equals what you paid. You'll each report your portion on your separate returns. Most couples either split them 50/50 or allocate them proportionally based on income. Make sure you communicate with your spouse about this so you don't both claim the same payments.
0 coins
Zane Hernandez
Just wanted to share that I used taxr.ai last year when I was in a similar situation with filing status questions. I was going back and forth about whether to file jointly with my spouse or separately because of some complicated business income and QBI deduction questions. The taxr.ai tool (https://taxr.ai) analyzed all my documents and showed me exactly how much I would save by filing separately. It gave me a side-by-side comparison of both filing statuses and highlighted all the tax implications I hadn't considered. The analysis showed that even though I'd gain the QBI deduction with MFS, I'd lose other benefits that actually made MFJ more beneficial overall in my case. It saved me hours of calculations and second-guessing, and I felt much more confident in my final decision.
0 coins
Genevieve Cavalier
•How accurate was it? Did you double-check their calculations with a CPA? I'm always skeptical about tax software when it comes to complex situations like QBI deductions.
0 coins
Ethan Scott
•Does it handle complicated situations like rental properties? I have some passive income from rentals plus a side business, and trying to figure out if MFS would help with the SALT deduction limits.
0 coins
Zane Hernandez
•The calculations were spot on. I actually did have my accountant review it afterward, and he was impressed with how comprehensive the analysis was. The QBI calculations matched what he would have done manually, but it saved him time which saved me money on his hourly rate. For rental properties, yes it handles those quite well. The system is particularly good at identifying which deductions are affected by filing status changes and showing you the ripple effects throughout your return. It specifically addressed SALT deduction limits in my analysis and showed how MFS vs MFJ would impact those limitations with our property tax situation.
0 coins
Genevieve Cavalier
Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai that I was asking about. I decided to try it with my situation (changing from MFJ to MFS with QBI considerations), and I'm really glad I did. The analysis showed that switching to MFS would save us about $7,800 in our situation because of the QBI deduction, even after losing some other benefits. What really impressed me was how it flagged specific issues I hadn't considered - like how switching to MFS would affect our capital loss carryovers and some education credits we usually claim. The side-by-side comparison made the decision obvious for our specific situation. It was definitely worth the time to run the analysis before making the filing status change. I feel much more confident now that we're making the right choice with MFS this year.
0 coins
Lola Perez
If you're struggling to get answers directly from the IRS about changing your filing status after extension, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with QBI deduction questions and couldn't get through to an IRS agent for weeks. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The agent was able to confirm exactly how to handle my situation and gave me specific guidance about allocating my estimated payments between MFS returns. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was honestly shocked at how quickly they got me through considering I had spent hours getting busy signals before that.
0 coins
Eli Wang
•How does this actually work? I've tried calling the IRS multiple times about my situation and always get the "call back later" message. Does this service somehow get priority in the phone queue?
0 coins
Nathaniel Stewart
•Sounds like a scam to me. Nobody can magically get through to the IRS. They probably just keep autodialing and charge you a fortune for it. Has anyone actually verified this works?
0 coins
Lola Perez
•It works by using their system to navigate the IRS phone tree and continuously redial when there are busy signals. They have technology that keeps trying different paths through the phone system until they find an open line. Once they have an IRS agent on the line, they call you and connect you directly to that agent. It's not a priority line or anything special that way - they're just automating the frustrating process of trying to get through the overwhelmed phone system. I was skeptical too, but when I got connected to an actual IRS employee after trying for days on my own, I was convinced.
0 coins
Nathaniel Stewart
I need to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I also needed to ask about changing my filing status after filing an extension. I figured it would either work or I'd come back and warn everyone. Well, it absolutely works. I got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed everything the person above mentioned - that I could change from MFJ to MFS even after filing an extension as MFJ, and gave me specific instructions about how to allocate my estimated payments. They also warned me about some implications of MFS I hadn't considered, like losing the student loan interest deduction and the lower income threshold for retirement contribution credits. Really glad I was able to speak directly with someone knowledgeable instead of guessing.
0 coins
Riya Sharma
Be REALLY careful about switching to MFS just for the QBI deduction! My wife and I did this last year, and while we did save about $9k on the QBI side, we got absolutely crushed on other aspects: 1) Lost ability to claim student loan interest deduction ($2,500 value) 2) Much lower threshold for retirement contribution deduction phaseout 3) Lost some child tax credit eligibility 4) Had to split itemized deductions which hurt us 5) Higher tax rates kicked in at lower income levels Make sure you calculate EVERYTHING before making this decision. In our case, we ended up about $3k ahead with MFS because the QBI deduction was substantial, but it was much less beneficial than we initially thought!
0 coins
Eli Wang
•That's really helpful insight! Can I ask what income range you and your spouse were in when you made the switch? And did you have any issues with the IRS questioning the change in filing status from previous years?
0 coins
Riya Sharma
•Our situation was that I had about $175k in consulting income (eligible for QBI) and my spouse had W-2 income around $210k. So our combined income pushed us well over the QBI phaseout threshold for MFJ. The IRS didn't question the change at all. You're allowed to choose whatever filing status you qualify for each year - there's no requirement to be consistent from year to year. We kept really good documentation about why we chose MFS that year in case of audit, but it wasn't an issue. The biggest hassle honestly was just the administrative side - filing two returns, splitting up our shared expenses and deductions, and dealing with state returns (some states require you to use the same filing status as federal, others don't).
0 coins
Santiago Diaz
Quick question for those who've been through this: Does changing to MFS create any issues with the estimated taxes already paid under MFJ? I'm also considering switching but already made quarterly payments jointly with my spouse.
0 coins
Cassandra Moon
•When you file MFS after making joint estimated payments, you'll need to allocate those payments between spouses on your tax returns. You can split them however you want as long as the total equals what you paid and both spouses agree on the allocation. I usually recommend documenting the agreed-upon split in writing between you and your spouse, just to avoid any confusion. Also be aware that if you're in a community property state (AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, or WI), there might be additional considerations about how income and payments should be allocated.
0 coins
Drake
I went through this exact situation two years ago and wanted to share some practical tips for anyone considering the MFJ to MFS switch: 1) **Run the numbers both ways first** - Don't just focus on the QBI deduction. I used a spreadsheet to calculate our total tax liability under both scenarios, including all the credits and deductions we'd lose with MFS. 2) **State tax implications** - Some states require you to use the same filing status as federal, others don't. In my case, our state had different rules that actually made MFS less beneficial at the state level even though it helped federally. 3) **Estimated payment allocation** - We split our estimated payments proportionally based on our separate incomes. So if I earned 60% of our combined income, I claimed 60% of the estimated payments. This seemed fairest and avoided any disputes. 4) **Documentation** - I kept detailed notes about why we chose MFS that year, including calculations showing the tax benefit. Never needed it, but felt good to have it organized. In our case, the QBI deduction saved us about $12k, but we lost roughly $4k in other benefits, so net savings was around $8k. Definitely worth it, but much less than the initial QBI calculation suggested. The switch itself was straightforward - no special forms needed, just file your separate returns by the extended deadline.
0 coins
Ana Erdoğan
•This is incredibly helpful! I'm in a very similar situation - consulting income around $160k and spouse with high W-2 income. Your point about state tax implications is something I hadn't even considered yet. Quick question: when you allocated the estimated payments proportionally, did you run into any issues with underpayment penalties? I'm worried that if I claim too much of our joint estimated payments on my MFS return, my spouse might not have paid enough throughout the year to avoid penalties. Also, did you use any specific software or just manual calculations to run the numbers both ways? I want to make sure I'm not missing any of the less obvious deductions that get affected by the filing status change.
0 coins