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Posted by Mark Bole on April 13, 2009, 8:50 am
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orangedr wrote:
> I am a full year CA resident for 2008. My wife (we got married in April
> 08) is partial MA (till May 08) and then CA resident.
>
> What is the best filing status for both?
>
> 1. Fed joint and state joint
> 2. Fed joint and states seperate
> 3. Fed and state seperate
Your CA filing status must be the same as your federal except in a few
limited situations, such as certain military servicemembers.
What do you mean by "best"? For example, if most of the balance due on
a MFJ return is due to one spouse's self-employment income, then it
would be best for the other spouse to file separately to limit liability
for the total balance due.
If you mean "best" = results in a lower household tax bill, then you
need to run the numbers yourself for each scenario.
Don't forget CA is community property state, half of your income for the
part of the year your wife was a MA resident is CA source income to her,
reportable on her MA tax return even if she files MFS for MA.
-Mark Bole
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