Married last year but accidentally filed taxes separately - can this be fixed?
So my wife and I just got married last October and this is our first tax season together. We both wanted to file jointly and I specifically remember selecting "married filing jointly" as our filing status in TurboTax. The problem is we each ended up using our own separate TurboTax accounts to enter our information. My wife submitted her return first and it got accepted right away by the IRS. When I tried to file mine a few days later, it got completely rejected with some error code (IND-508-01). Now I'm totally confused about what happened and how to fix this mess! Did we accidentally file separately even though we selected jointly? Do we need to amend something? Any help would be seriously appreciated because I'm freaking out a bit here.
18 comments
Join the conversation
Saanvi Krishnaswami
What happened is that when your wife filed first, the IRS processed her return as "married filing separately" regardless of what she selected in TurboTax. When you tried to file, the system rejected it because your wife's SSN was already used on a return. You have two options to fix this: 1. You can leave things as is and both file as "married filing separately" - just refile your return with this status. This is simpler but might result in paying more taxes overall. 2. The better option is usually to file an amended return (Form 1040-X) for your wife changing her filing status to "married filing jointly" and including all your income information. This will likely get you a better tax outcome, but does take more work. If you want to compare which option saves you more, try calculating your taxes both ways. Generally, filing jointly provides better tax benefits for most couples.
0 coins
Demi Lagos
•If they file an amended return for the wife, would the husband still need to file his own return separately or would it all be included in the amended joint return?
0 coins
Saanvi Krishnaswami
•If they choose to file an amended return to change to married filing jointly, then all of the husband's information (income, deductions, credits, etc.) would be included on that amended joint return. The husband would not need to file a separate return. For the amended return, they'll need to include both spouses' information on Form 1040-X, essentially creating a joint return that replaces the wife's original separate return. They'll also need to pay any additional tax due or they'll receive any additional refund if the joint filing status results in a lower tax liability.
0 coins
Mason Lopez
I ran into this exact problem last year, and honestly it was such a headache until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). They have this document analysis tool that helped me figure out what went wrong with our filing status and exactly what steps to take to amend the return. What happened in my case is that TurboTax sometimes doesn't clearly communicate that each spouse needs to be on the same account for a proper joint filing. Their system analyzed both our originally filed return and our amended return documents before we submitted to make sure everything was correct for the amendment.
0 coins
Vera Visnjic
•How long did the amendment process take after you used taxr.ai? I'm in a similar situation and worried about delays.
0 coins
Jake Sinclair
•I'm confused - so this is just for document review? Does it actually help file the amendment or just tell you what's wrong? Seems like I could just call TurboTax support for that.
0 coins
Mason Lopez
•The entire amendment process took about 8-10 weeks, but having the document review upfront saved a ton of time because we didn't have any errors or rejections. The IRS processing time for amendments is typically 8-16 weeks, so we were on the faster end of that range. The service does more than just review - it identifies specific issues in your tax documents that might cause problems and gives customized guidance. TurboTax support is helpful for general questions, but they don't actually analyze your specific documents line-by-line to find potential issues. The AI tool caught several things specific to our situation that a generic customer support call wouldn't have identified.
0 coins
Jake Sinclair
Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai for my filing status mess and it was actually really helpful! The tool analyzed both my original return and my draft amended return and pointed out some issues I would have completely missed. It flagged that I was about to make an error with how credits were being carried over on the amended form, which would have likely triggered an audit flag. The step-by-step guidance for completing the 1040-X form correctly was way more specific than what I got from reading general IRS instructions. My amended return has been accepted and I'm getting a much better refund now than with the separate filing!
0 coins
Brielle Johnson
If you're having trouble getting clear answers from the IRS about fixing this, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with a filing status issue and couldn't get through to the IRS for weeks. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with walked me through exactly what forms I needed to file and how to properly amend the return. Saved me from a ton of guesswork and potentially making more mistakes.
0 coins
Honorah King
•How does this actually work? Like, do they just call the IRS for you or something? I'm confused how a third party service could get you to the front of the IRS phone line.
0 coins
Oliver Brown
•Sounds scammy to me. The IRS doesn't let people skip the line. I've heard of these services before and they just take your money and you still wait forever.
0 coins
Brielle Johnson
•They use a combination of technology and timing to navigate the IRS phone system efficiently. It's not about skipping the line - they essentially call the IRS and navigate the initial phone tree, then wait on hold for you. When an agent is about to pick up, they connect the call to your phone. So you avoid the hours of hold time but still speak directly with an IRS agent yourself. I was skeptical too before trying it. But it's not a scam - you're still talking to official IRS representatives, just without the 2+ hour wait. In my case, I needed specific guidance on how to handle an amendment due to filing status issues that weren't covered clearly in the general instructions, and getting a real IRS agent on the phone was the only way to get definitive answers.
0 coins
Oliver Brown
Ok I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After more research I decided to try it because I needed to talk to someone at the IRS about my amended return situation (similar to OP's issue). Got connected to an IRS rep in about 20 minutes when I had previously tried calling myself and gave up after being on hold for over 3 hours. The agent I spoke with explained that my specific situation required some additional documentation with the amended return that wasn't mentioned in the standard instructions. Would have had my amendment rejected without that info. Definitely worth it if you need actual clarification from the IRS on something complicated like filing status changes.
0 coins
Mary Bates
For future reference, to file jointly on TurboTax, you need to do it from ONE account. The software isn't smart enough to combine two separate account filings into one joint return. Easiest approach is to have one spouse complete their info first, then add the second spouse's info to the same return.
0 coins
Reina Salazar
•Thank you for this explanation! I think this is exactly what happened - we each used our own accounts thinking TurboTax would somehow combine them. So if we amend, should we just use my wife's account since her return was already accepted?
0 coins
Mary Bates
•Yes, since your wife's return was already accepted, you should use her TurboTax account to prepare the amended return. You'll log into her account, locate her accepted return, and then select the option to amend it. When amending, you'll need to add all your income information, deductions, and credits to create a complete joint return. Make sure you have all your tax documents ready, including your W-2s, 1099s, and anything else relevant to your tax situation. TurboTax will guide you through the amendment process, but just remember you're essentially creating a new joint return that includes both of your information.
0 coins
Clay blendedgen
Just a heads up - if you do decide to amend, make sure you check if you'd actually benefit from filing jointly vs separately. Most couples do save money filing jointly, but there are certain situations where filing separately is better (like if one spouse has income-based student loan payments or significant medical expenses). Worth calculating both ways before going through the amendment process.
0 coins
Ayla Kumar
•This! My husband and I accidentally filed separately last year and were about to amend until we realized we'd actually save about $1800 by staying with separate returns due to his income-based student loan situation. Definitely worth checking both scenarios.
0 coins