Gather both your and your spouse’s W-2’s and any other community income for preparation.
- Create an entry into our program for each of the W-2's for both you and your spouse's community income. Example: you should have an entry for each of your W-2 form(s) and for each of your spouse's W-2 form(s) under your name.
- You will be required to claim half of the total income and half the total tax withholdings for each W-2 on your return. Change the amount in Box 1 to reflect one-half of the total community income for wages. Change the amount in Box 2 to reflect one-half of the total federal tax withholdings. If the W-2s are originally the spouse's W-2s, leave boxes 3-6 blank. If the W-2 is issued to you, report boxes 3-6 as it was reported on your W-2.
- If you have any other community income besides your W-2’s, please change those amounts to reflect your new community income, one-half of the income.
- Once you have completed the steps above, please complete the Married Filing Separately Allocations Form 8958. This form will explain to the IRS why the taxable income and withholdings listed on the W-2 and other income are listed differently than the original forms.
I don't know my spouse's information. What do I do?
If spouses divorce or separate, check the IRS filing status guidelines to determine if you are required to file a return as a married individual or if you can filed as unmarried.
- If you can file as unmarried select the filing status that you qualify for. You can use the IRS interactive tool if you are not sure which filing status to choose.
- If you are required to file as married, the other spouse's information is required to electronically file the return.
Program entry
- Federal Section
- Miscellaneous Forms
- Allocation of Tax Amounts for Individuals in Certain States, Reported on Form 8958 - Married Filing Separately Allocations - Enter your spouse’s half of the community income within the applicable fields.
Please refer to Pub 555 for more information.