Why can't I take the standard deduction?

If you are Married Filing Separate, and your spouse has already filed and chosen to itemize their deductions, you are not allowed to take the standard deduction and are also forced to itemized.   If you want to dispute this, you can print and mail your return to the IRS who will then decide if your spouse will be allowed to itemize, if they should split those deductions with you or if you will both have to file the standard deduction.

How to correct this information: 

From our homepage, click on sign in to access your account.  Select thecurrent return that is rejected.

Next, select the Deductions Section tab in the left margin of the page and then the Itemized Deductions.  You will need to answer 'Yes' to the question "Do you want to itemize your deductions?"  You will then need to answer 'Yes' when asked "If you were married during the tax year, will your spouse itemize deductions?"  This will allow you to itemize even though the deduction does not exceed your standard deduction.  If you feel this is incorrect, you may try to resubmit without making the correction.  However, if your return is rejected again with the same error code, you will need to contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 for more details. 

Once you have made your correction you will then save and continue to the end of your return and resubmit.

*We strongly recommend checking the status of your return in 24-48 hours using the Login to My Income Tax Return link to verify that your return has been accepted.