Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
I also am using purchased CD Standard version. What they forgot to mention in the instructions below is you must switch to the easy entry mode. This is the original mode where you answer all the questions. Look to the top right menu structure, and click on the "find" mode, and look for charitable donations. You will then be presented with all the donations you have entered so far. You can edit or delete at this point, but if you want to split, then follow the directions below. Hope this helps.
Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
I also am using purchased CD Standard version. What they forgot to mention in the instructions below is you must switch to the easy entry mode. This is the original mode where you answer all the questions. Look to the top right menu structure, and click on the "find" mode, and look for charitable donations. You will then be presented with all the donations you have entered so far. You can edit or delete at this point, but if you want to split, then follow the directions below. Hope this helps.
Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
Enter the donations for each spouse.
The optimizer automatically places the total amount of donations on one spouse's return.
To assign a split of the donations, continue in the Donations section until you reach the screen called "Split credit with spouse or common-law partner" (right after the carry forward to 2019 screen).
Choose the amount of donations you'd like to assign to the spouse who currently has zero.
Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
When is TurboTax Download Standard going to allow splitting of charitable donations to optimize tax returns with a spouse in the Forms format without giving up NETFILE capability for one spouse? Right now, I have to override a cell in either the DON form or in Schedule 9 to enter the amount claimed by a spouse. When overriding in the DON form, there is no warning that NETFILE isn't possible but when overriding in Schedule 9, I'm warned that one spouse's return will need to be mailed in. Easy Step format takes far too long to go all the way through to get to donations splitting and I don't want to waste that time.
Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
Unfortunately, the best way is to go to Easy Steps and in the top right "Find" type in donations- and click on donation optimizer and go- It will bring you straight to it.
Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
Agreed. TurboTax needs to address this. It should be relatively simple to develop an algorithm that determines the best distribution of donations between both spouses to provide the maximum advantage for the couple. This is what an actual "optimizer" would do! To accomplish this, I manually try various amounts until I get the optimum distribution. Surely the developers could do this in the software without much effort. This can add up to hundreds of lost taxes for those who trust the current "optimizer" without realizing how short-sighted it is. A bitter pill to swallow.
Please describe in detail how I split charitable donations on a spousal return.
I agree with February 23's comments. Turbo Tax software seems to assume that one spouse claiming all the donations is the only option. There needs to be an optimizer to determine the splitting amounts that provide the best result for minimizing the taxes owed.
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