Hi,

people have asked similar questions before. But every situation varies. For 2008, I lived and worked only in CA, while my spouse lived and worked only in MN. I heard that we can file federal tax return jointly and then separately for state tax returns. On the state tax forms however I found it extremely difficult to reflect our situation (esp. the CA form). Namely I think I should not pay any MN tax and my spouse should not pay any CA tax. Is my assumption about state taxes correct? Any suggestions to make this work?

Thanks!

Yes, on CA return your spouse is nonresident and does not have any CA income. Read: Your U.S. Tax Return: Working or Living in Two or More states (http://taxipay.blogspot.com/2008/06/working-in-two-or-more-states.html)