When Completing My Return, My Income Is Not Appearing Correctly on the Return. My Filing Status Is "Married Filing Separate". How Do I Correct This?
If your income is not appearing correctly on your Idaho tax return and you are filing as "Married Filing Separately," you should verify the following:
1. Verify Your Filing Status
- Ensure you have selected "Married filing separately" in the Filing Status section of Form 40.
- Confirm that you have entered your spouse’s name and SSN in the designated space if required.
2. Check Household Information
- On Form 40, line 6a: Enter “1” for yourself unless someone else claims you as a dependent.
- Line 6b: Enter “1” if you are filing a joint return — but since you are filing separately, this should be left blank or adjusted accordingly.
- Line 6c: List dependents (if any) and enter the total on line 6d.
3. Confirm Federal Adjusted Gross Income (AGI)
- On Form 40, line 7: Enter your federal adjusted gross income from Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 11.
- Ensure this amount is transferred accurately from your federal return. If you do not have an SSN or ITIN, enter “NRA” (Nonresident Alien).
4. Review Income Reporting
- Ensure all income sources (wages, interest, dividends, business income, etc.) are reported correctly on Form 40, lines 7–12.
- Include federal Form W-2s for wages, salaries, and tips.
- If you have capital gains or losses, include federal Schedule D if required.
5. Check for Earned Income and Child Care Credit (if applicable)
- If claiming the Child and Dependent Care Credit, ensure you enter your earned income on line 5 of Form 39R or Form 39NR.
- If married filing separately, enter your spouse’s earned income on line 6. All others should enter the amount from line 5.
- On line 7, enter the smallest amount from lines 1, 4, 5, or 6 — this amount is used for credit calculations.
Source:
Form 40
Individual Income Tax guidelines
Disclaimer: Always verify information with official Federal or State Department of Revenue Forms and Instructions. OLT (Online Taxes) provides guidance based on retrieved context and does not guarantee accuracy for all individual circumstances.