How do I switch the spouse to be the main taxpayer on my return?

If you filed as Married Filing Jointly last year, make sure the person filing as the taxpayer this year is the same person who filed as the taxpayer last year if you're going to file together again. If you switch the names it can delay the IRS's processing of your tax return and your refund.

If you're changing your filing status, you'll want to follow the steps below so you don't lose any of the spouse's information that will be the main taxpayer. When you switch the filing status from Married Filing Jointly to another filing status, all the income information for the spouse is deleted. The steps below will instruct you on how to make it so that you delete the original taxpayer's information and then replace it with the spouse's information.

• If you've already updated the taxpayer's name on the Taxpayer Information screen, go back and change it temporarily to the prior taxpayer. This will make it easier to complete the other steps.
• Go through the tax software, looking for all of the original taxpayer's different forms that have been entered, like Form W-2s, 1099-MISCs, etc. and delete the ones you no longer need.
• Once all of the original taxpayer's information is deleted, switch any of the original spouse's information so that it now belongs to the taxpayer. Do not delete these from the return.
• Go to the Taxpayer Information screen to enter the individual's information (name, Social Security number, etc.) you want as the new taxpayer.
• Continue to the Filing Status screen, choose your new filing status, and continue with your return. When the filing status change is saved, all of the original spouse's information will now show as if they're the primary taxpayer and you should be able to complete your return.

If you're not changing your filing status, first update the taxpayer information on the Taxpayer Information screen and then update the spouse information on the Spouse Information screen. After that you'll need to step through the entire tax return to make sure things that are assigned to just one person (Form W-2s, Form 1099-Rs, education credits, etc.) are assigned to the correct person.