Spousal or Common-Law Amount - believe reporting incorrectly

[alexmedland]

My husband is a Canadian citizen and I became a permanent resident in September 2015.  We are both filing our first tax returns.  The software has calculated my correct personal allowance at $3,010 (prorated) but it is reporting the full $11,327 as Spousal or Common-Law Amount for my husband - I thought it should only be the $3,010?  I had nil income for 2015

[TonyC11 · Accepted solution]

If he is a Canadian citizen, and was resident for tax purposes in 2015, he will be entitled to the
full personal allowance.

[alexmedland]

Thanks - he was resident for tax purposes for all of 2015 so has been given the full personal allowance in the software - but it has also given him credit for Spousal or Common-law Amount at the full amount too.  I was only resident for just under 30 days so think it should be the prorated amount.

[TonyC11]

Interesting. If you reported yourself as an immigrant with an arrival date in November, and had no income, you would expect to have a prorated Personal amount, as you indeed have.

However, your partner was not an immigrant in 2015 ( could not be as he is now a citizen), he is entitled to full credits, including spousal amount if eligible. There is no reason why his credit would be prorated.

[alexmedland]

My understand is tha the 'Spousal or Common-Law Amount' is the amount of unused personal allowance that I can transfer to my husband to help reduce his tax liability.  If this is right, I can transfer $3,010 of unused, prorated personal allowance but the software has transferred $11,327 which I'm not sure is right?  Can anyone from TurboTax please comment on / help with this please?