Can I file a joint Louisiana return if my spouse and I have different residency statuses?

If you and your spouse have different residency statuses (for example, one is a resident and the other is a part-year or nonresident), Louisiana allows you to choose the residency status that is most beneficial to you. That normally means you would choose a part-year or nonresident status and then only include the income you earned as a resident of Louisiana when asked to adjust your income. If you filed your federal return jointly, you would need to file the Louisiana return jointly as well.