Tax Filing Options When Separated From Spouse - Married Filing Separately Questions
I'm currently separated from my husband and trying to figure out how to file my taxes. I know I can't file as single since we're still legally married, so I'm looking at the married filing separately option. The problem is TurboTax keeps asking for my spouse's W-2 information, but we're completely separated and he refuses to cooperate or share any of his financial information with me. Does anyone know if I actually need to include his W-2 info when filing separately? Will skipping this section cause problems with my return? I'm worried about delays or potential audits if I don't provide his information, but I literally have no way to get it. I've been trying to get an appointment with a divorce attorney to sort through all these issues, but I can't get in to see anyone before the tax filing deadline. Any advice would be really appreciated!
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Freya Collins
You're in a common situation and don't need to worry! When filing Married Filing Separately, you only report your own income, deductions, and credits. You don't need your spouse's W-2 information at all. TurboTax is likely asking because sometimes people have both sets of information and want to compare filing methods to see which gives a better outcome. You can skip those screens or indicate you don't have access to that information. The main thing to remember with Married Filing Separately is that you'll face some limitations - like not being able to claim certain credits (earned income credit, for example). You'll also need to either both take the standard deduction or both itemize - you can't mix approaches.
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LongPeri
•Thanks for the info! Quick question though - when filing separately do I need to know how much my spouse is claiming as a standard deduction? I heard somewhere that if one of us itemizes then both have to. How does that work if we're not communicating?
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Freya Collins
•You're welcome! You don't need to know how much your spouse is claiming as a standard deduction. The rule is simply that you both must choose the same method - either both take the standard deduction or both itemize. If you don't know what your spouse is doing, your safest bet is to take the standard deduction. Most people do, and it's generally beneficial unless someone has very significant itemizable expenses. If you take the standard deduction and your spouse itemizes, the IRS might flag the discrepancy later, but that would be your spouse's problem to fix, not yours.
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Oscar O'Neil
I was in your exact situation last year after separating from my wife. I spent hours trying to figure out how to deal with TurboTax asking for her info! I stumbled upon https://taxr.ai which literally saved my sanity. It analyzed my situation and confirmed that when filing MFS, I only needed to report my own income. The service walked me through exactly which screens to skip in TurboTax and explained why certain questions were popping up. It even explained which tax benefits I'd lose by filing separately, but confirmed this was still my best option given the separation. Super helpful seeing everything clearly laid out!
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Sara Hellquiem
•Did they actually help with the TurboTax interface specifically? I'm using that too and getting so confused with all the prompts asking about spouse information.
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Charlee Coleman
•How does this work exactly? I'm skeptical of tax services that aren't the big names. Did you have to upload all your personal financial info to them?
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Oscar O'Neil
•Yes, they actually provided screenshots of the specific TurboTax screens I needed to navigate and which buttons to click to bypass the spouse information sections. Helped me avoid the rabbit holes that were stressing me out. Regarding your question about security, I was concerned about that too. You can upload tax documents if you want a complete analysis, but they also offer an option where you just describe your situation and get general guidance. They use bank-level encryption, and what I appreciated was they clearly explained which information was necessary versus optional. I started with just describing my situation and got enough help to move forward.
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Sara Hellquiem
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the previous commenter recommended. It was exactly what I needed! I uploaded my W-2 and answered a few questions about my separation, and they gave me a clear explanation of how to handle everything in TurboTax. The best part was they confirmed I don't need my husband's information and showed me exactly which screens in TurboTax I could skip. They even pointed out that in my specific situation, I qualified for a specific deduction I hadn't considered despite filing separately. Saved me from making a $1,200 mistake! Definitely less stressful than the hours I spent going in circles before.
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Liv Park
I had a similar situation last year and tried calling the IRS directly for guidance. Spent THREE DAYS trying to get through on the phone without success. So frustrating! I finally found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 45 minutes. The agent confirmed exactly what I needed to do when filing separately from my uncooperative spouse. They explained which forms to focus on and assured me that I wouldn't get in trouble for not having his information. You can see how their service works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it literally calls the IRS for you and then calls you when they have an agent on the line. Was a game changer after all those busy signals!
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Leeann Blackstein
•Wait, so this service just calls the IRS for you? Why would that work better than calling yourself? The IRS lines are all backed up no matter who calls.
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Ryder Greene
•Sounds like a scam tbh. Why would I pay someone else to call the IRS for me? And how do they magically get through when millions of people can't?
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Liv Park
•The service uses an automated system that continually redials and navigates the IRS phone tree until it gets a spot in line. It's basically doing what you'd do manually but without you having to sit there listening to hold music for hours. They're not doing anything special that gets priority access - they're just using technology to handle the frustrating part. When they finally reach a human at the IRS, they connect that agent to your phone. It worked way better because I could go about my day instead of being stuck with my phone on speaker for hours hoping to eventually get through.
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Ryder Greene
I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr! After posting that skeptical comment, I was desperate enough to try it because I needed clarification about my MFS situation before the filing deadline. It actually worked exactly as described. I signed up, and about 2 hours later got a call connecting me directly to an IRS representative. No waiting on hold! The agent confirmed I only need to report my own income when filing separately and explained which forms to use. They also gave me specific advice about how to handle our shared mortgage interest since we're separated but both still on the loan. Honestly saved me so much stress and I filed my return with confidence. My refund was approved within 2 weeks with no issues!
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Carmella Fromis
Don't forget to consider filing as Head of Household instead if you have qualifying dependents and meet the requirements! If you've been separated for the last 6 months of the tax year AND have a qualifying dependent living with you for more than half the year, you might qualify for HOH status which has better tax rates than Married Filing Separately.
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Lucas Schmidt
•I do have our daughter living with me full-time since the separation. I didn't know this was an option! What exactly qualifies as "separated" though? We don't have any legal separation agreement, just living in different places for about 8 months now.
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Carmella Fromis
•For the IRS, being "separated" means you and your spouse didn't live in the same household during the last 6 months of the tax year. You don't need a formal separation agreement for tax purposes. Since your daughter lives with you full-time and you've been living separately for 8 months, you likely qualify for Head of Household status. This gives you a higher standard deduction and better tax rates than Married Filing Separately. You'll also remain eligible for certain credits that you lose with MFS. Definitely look into this option in TurboTax - there should be a section where you can check if you qualify for HOH status!
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Theodore Nelson
Has anyone dealt with this scenario where you filed MFS and then found out later your ex filed as Single even though you were still legally married? My ex did this and I'm worried I'll get in trouble somehow, even though I filed correctly.
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AaliyahAli
•Your ex will be the one in trouble, not you. If you were legally married on December 31 of the tax year, neither of you can file as Single - that's tax fraud on their part. The IRS will likely catch this when they match Social Security numbers and may audit your ex, but you're fine since you filed correctly as MFS.
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