Facts:

I work in VA.

I lived in VA for 6 months and moved to Washington, DC, mid-way through the year.

I got married in November; my wife lives and works in Baltimore, MD.

I plan on moving to Baltimore, but I have not yet moved there, and won't be technically moving there until the new year.

We plan on doing our federal taxes as married filing jointly.

Question(s): Do we have to file separate returns for each state? Can we file jointly for all states (VA, DC, MD)? If so, how is this done? It is all quite murky to me and I don't want to screw it up somehow. Any advice/guidance on how to do this correctly?

You will file THREE state returns: VA, DC and MD.

You will file jointly in each, but pay taxes ONLY on income earned while living in each particular region.

It IS complicated, which is why you should probably use an experienced tax pro to make sure it is done correctly.