My wife and I both moved +40km together. We both worked after we arrived at new home. How do we claim the costs / show our income at new home with a shared return?

[chris49]

-We made one move, together. 

-We shared expenses for the move. 

-I filled out the full cost of the move in my part of return and said two household members were involved in the move.  What should I put for hers if she also had income after we got here to new place.  I don't think doubling up on the cost of the move in her part of the return is smart.

-we started our new jobs at separate times 

My question is : 

Can I tack her income onto mine? 

or

should I divide the moving expense in half (partly attributed to my return, and partly attributed to her return), evenly. say that we each moved a single household member (ourself only), and then, each claim our income in new home separately? 

sorry if its confusing. 

[TurboTaxJeffrey · Accepted solution]

You can't add up both incomes together...but you are able to split the moving expenses between you, and you don't have to split the expenses evenly.  I would use the expenses first against the spouse with the higher income, as this would result in better tax savings...if there are still some moving expenses not being claimed, then you could claim the balance on the other spouse or carry them forward and use them on the 2016 tax return, assuming you still have income from the new work location in 2016.

[chris49]

Hi troman, that is helpful, thank you. If I could just ask for one further clarification;
when you say higher income; for the entirety of year, or in the new location?

[TurboTaxJeffrey]

The spouse with the higher income overall...as a deduction would reduce the tax calculated at the higher tax rate.  Yes, this person might have lower income from the new location.  Also, if you forsee that next year that one spouse or the other may have a higher income, you could still save the balance of the moving expenses for the following year.  The question is, would the tax savings be high enough to warrant waiting another year.