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There are NON-tax reasons for MFS. A divorce on the horizon is a big one.

Usually when incomes are roughly the same, MFS costs way more than MFJ because the tax rates are so much higher and deductions/credits limited. The SALT deduction for MFS, for example, is limited to $5k each. It can work if medical expenses aren't 7.5% of joint income but exceed that using one income. A lot of people ask about MFS when they learn they can't itemize. They think they are losing out on claiming their mortgages, charities, etc. Actually, if your standard deduction is $27,700 and your itemized deds are $25k, you are winning!

Just read an article on MSN page that Drake software users are also getting those emails. They are after us. They know what we hold in our systems and they want it. Tom Longview, TX

Well this is a new one. Not their email address, and I don't even have this software. Titled EFIN SUMMARY UPDATE, from Wolters Kluwer <[email protected]>: CCH® ProSystem fx® Tax Release 2023.02030 Dear Valued Customer, We shall be updating our system and would be needing a copy of your EFIN SUMMARY to keep your software active. We will need a summary generated at least 30days before now. The Summary tab should list your Firm Name/Address, Provider Options and your EFIN number for verification. You need to go to your IRS E-file provider services to download a recent and current Efin application page. Kindly attach a clear copy of your EFIN SUMMARY and get back to us via email or fax to 1 (619) 637-9333. Sincerely, Wolters Kluwer Please do not respond to this automated email message. This is an unattended mailbox. Confidentiality Notice: This email and its attachments (if any) contain confidential information of the sender. The information is intended only for the use by the direct addressees of the original sender of this email. If you are not an intended recipient of the original sender (or responsible for delivering the message to such person), you are hereby notified that any review, disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance of the contents of and attachments to this email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please permanently delete any copies (digital or paper) in your possession.

Yes, but currently it is a manual override. I could not find a way around the override, which I do not like to use.

If one person itemizes on MFS returns, they both need to even if other spouse is less than standard deduction.

My son, who works in IT security, once told me, "Mom, if you knew what I know about the internet, you'd never use it." Scary that he's probably right. Never, ever respond to those emails from people supposedly looking for a new tax pro. Of the tens of thousands of tax preparers in this nation, they just randomly picked you?

To see if the address they sent to is real (no bounce) and most importantly, to troll for a reply/unsubscribe. The reply gives certain information to identify you, which is gold/platinum for hackers. For instance, if you reply from a cell, and are not properly masking certain things, the recipient of your message/reply can geolocate you fairly well, and in some cases, within a few meters. If you reply from your desk, the same place you have data someone might want to get at, unless you do certain things, you can certainly be geolocated reasonably accurately, and more importantly, the route to your computer is decipherable. I will not go deeper here, but this is stuff any script kiddie knows or can look up, let alone the "professional" hacker entities. Like the security company who posts their head's SSN as proof of their protection, with proper security, it is not a big deal if someone knows your IP. BTW, long gone are the days when an ISP would actually change your IP often. It is easier for them, less support and all, to essentially give you a static IP, which only changes on certain rare events. Even the bounce you received is likely a fake, as they don't want you to know they "got" you until they see what they can sell the information for, or until they get what they can.

I always find offering last years returns is the first give away, actual potential clients never mention that in a first email. Also, the scammers frequently pretend to be some big corporate CEOs, cause yeah, that's who'd be contacting us. Today in addition to the 2-3 like that, I got one telling me "Thomas" shared tax files with me via Dropbox. But it didn't come from Dropbox, which I'm guessing a legit notification would. Don't know, I don't use Dropbox. Guess "Thomas" is just out of luck.

There is one that I get regularly that comes from an email that is .corn instead of .com. Pretty sneaky. I think that extension allows them to use legitimate company names. The email address will be [email protected] or something similar. You gotta be vigilant on email. Tom Longview TX