How do I fix medical expenses being claimed by the wrong spouse in TurboTax Desktop?
When preparing a coupled return in TurboTax Desktop, the Medical Expense Optimizer is designed to recommend which spouse should claim the family's medical expenses to get the best refund.
An issue with this process has been identified. The issue causes the optimizer's recommendation to show correctly on the optimizer screen, but assigns the actual medical expense amounts to the other spouse on the return.
You may notice this on the Optimized medical expense claim screen, where:
The optimizer recommends, for example, that Spouse A should claim the medical expenses, but
The amounts end up under Spouse B on the form (or vice-versa).
If you don't catch this, the wrong spouse will claim the credit and your refund may be lower than it should be.
Who’s affected by this issue?
You may be affected if all of the following are true:
You're filing a coupled return (you and your spouse together).
You’re using the Forms mode method.
You let the Medical Expense Optimizer assign the claim automatically.
How do I check my return?
In TurboTax, go to the Medical Expenses section under Deductions & Credits.
Continue until you reach the Optimized medical expense claim screen.
Read the optimizer's recommendation carefully. It’ll name one spouse.
For example, “[Spouse A] should claim the medical expenses.”
Go to the next screen and look at the amounts shown below the recommendation. Make sure the dollar amounts are listed under the same spouse the optimizer recommended.
If the recommended name and the spouse with the amounts don't match, you're affected by this issue.
How do I fix this issue?
Test both options manually, then keep whichever gives the higher combined refund or combined lower taxes payable.
Run the return with Spouse A claiming all the medical expenses. Note the combined refund.
Run it again with Spouse B claiming all the medical expenses. Note the combined refund.
Keep whichever gives the higher combined refund.
