Thanks, this is helpful but doesn't answer the part about what appears to be an optimizer glitch. First the optimizer fails to allocate donations to the higher earner in the first place so the lower earner end up with carry forward donations - even though there is room to claim them this year against the higher earner. Secondly, when I choose to override the optimizer and allocate all donations to the higher earning spouse, the software maintains the (faulty) optimization. To overcome this I simply re-entered all donations against the higher earning spouse, regardless of which spouse is actually named on the tax receipt. This worked perfectly; it maximized our refund and there are no carry forwards. As long as it is legal to allocate my wife's tax receipts to my name then all is well - which is how I read your answer. Thanks!
