I work and live in OH and my spouse work and live in KY. I have some questions
1) Since we live separately, we need to spend twice the amount of money on rent and extra expenses on travel. Is there any way that I can claim this money as deductions? 2) I decided to file federal MFJ. What status I should file for state taxes? If I am filing MFJ, how should I calculate AGI for either states. Thank you in advance for your help
Ordinary living expenses and non-business travel are generally not deductible. However, if you own both residences, you can probably deduct mortgage interest and real-estate taxes on both.
Most states require that the state filing status be the same as federal. The following links may be helpful. If you have to file MFJ, you'll probably be filing resident w/ non-resident spouse in both states. The forms are engineered to separate state from non-state income, compute the appropriate state income and determine the appropriate income tax.
-- John D. Goulden
I'm assuming that you were a full-year resident of OH and your spouse was a full-year resident of KY. In OH, if you file a joint federal return, you must file jointly for Ohio. Since your spouse is a nonresident, you can subtract from your total tax liability the part of that liability that relates to your spouse's non-Ohio source income. The credit is calculated on Schedule D of the Ohio return. In KY, you are not bound by your federal filing. Your spouse can file MFS reporting only his or her own income and deductions. Check the form instructions in each state for further help.
Katie in San Diego
BeanSmart website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.