The Bodda Getta

A lot of it depends on the deductions and the disparity between your incomes. If you file separate, if one itemizes, then both have to... though it does not mean that the person who paid the bill has to be the one claiming the deduction. Where it really makes a difference is if you have high medical expenses and they are all claimed by the person with the lower income. This could also be appropriate if you have high other deductions that are subject to a reduction based upon adj gross income. Beside that, normally it will cost you to file separate, as the joint table kind of averages the income to determine the rate. I have one couple that file separate every year even though it costs them extra because he owes back taxes from before their marriage. If they file jointly now, any refund she would get is applied to his debt. Other than these comments, there is no hard and fast rule and the best thing is to prepare both ways and see how you come out. I have done thousands of returns over the years and I have only found a few situations besides what was covered previously, where filing separate was the better way to go. At the same time, I have had to honestly tell some couples that made comparable incomes that staying single was the better option. Hope this helps (though I'm not a CPA).

For whatever it's worth, I generally agree with the comments that you've gotten. There are a few (very few) situations in which MFS makes sense in terms of saving taxes. Generally, you end up with a better answer MFJ. You won't know until you run it both ways. There are some peculiar rules that sometimes make MFS a worse answer (and I am a CPA).

I'm not a local CPA (live in St. Petersburg, FL), but I would advise asking around town and using someone who's been in your area a while. Your return doesn't sound super complex, so I wouldn't go to a large firm. Depending on the size of the firm, your return may or may not get completed by 4/17/12, as being only a month away, most firms are slammed with returns. I would say smaller firms, or individual CPA practices could probably take you on and file timely.

I've never used TurboTax, so I can't attest to whether or not you can lable the input as Taxpayer, Spouse or Joint, though I would imagine it would. It's a pretty common practice to run a filing status optimization, if anything, so you just know where it stands.

Hope this helps.

That would prob help. I am in Bham

Heck just use the Geitner method. Don't file if you will owe anything.

I would always recommend using an accountant (CPA or public) unless the return is
super simple. I used to practice and saw so many instances where someone doing his/her
own return would make many mistakes. The returns now with the new schedule D,
figuring the taxability of social security and the like make this chore too difficult for the
average person. Best of luck to you this tax season. Thanks so much for asking a tax
question.