How to File an Individual 1040A

"In this section we are going to talk about married filing separately. If you are married and file a separate return, you are usually going to pay more taxes than if you used another filing status for yourself which you qualify. Also if you file separate return, you cannot take the student loan interest deduction, the tuition and fees deduction, the education or earned income credits. You also cannot take the standard deduction if your spouse itemizes deductions. So why would you want to file married filing separately? There are certain circumstances where this may be beneficial. If you suspect that your spouse owes IRS money, you would want to consider this because if you file a joint return both of you will be liable for any tax due. There are also situations where one spouse may have significant medical or casualty loss expenses and in these situations it may be beneficial to file separately."