Question

Married filing jointly for Fed, Separately for two states

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
March 1, 2020
1 reply
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Hello, I live and work in Georgia and my wife lives and works in California. Per Intuit's advice, I filed Fed as Married filing jointly and made two "mock" Married filing separately files for each of us/each state. I efiled the Fed, then the Georgia version (it knew I had sent Fed). When I tried to send my wife's California version, it should both Fed and Georgia as unfiled. I tried to efile and now it says I have to send California through as a printed version. However, it's showing my mock Fed Married filing Separately. Ugh. I should have just filed separately entirely. Can I recall my files and refile? Or do you have any suggestions to properly file my California file with I guess, another Fed version (My MFJ?) Thanks, Dan

KathrynG3

No, once your returns are e-filed, any changes would require an amendment.

You will have to mail in the California return not yet filed and include your MFJ Federal return which has already been electronically submitted with the California return filed separately.

D

danmcsAuthor

Thanks for answering. That's a real bummer and I wish I knew that before I did it this way. I redid it and looks like I could have filed Married Filing Separately for both Fed and State and that would have been the better answer, as we got the Standard deduction either way. Then I would have done it all electronically (albeit, paying for an extra e-filing.

So I guess I have to ignore the Fed that prints out with the CA state taxes, as it's my mock Fed. Hope it does not trigger an audit, as my CA state won't match the Fed I truly sent (vs. the mock that made up the CA tax return).

Whoever wrote that one should create the mock returns may want to rethink that option, or at least explain that there will be consequences of having to send in a printed return, plus what prints for Fed will be wrong (and, the State won't tie to the Fed I submitted).