MFS to avoid Spouse's IRS Issues

[Unregistered]

I have a couple new clients that have been filing MFS for a couple years because their spouse has issues with the IRS (i.e. non filing, back taxes, or...). What do you recommend your clients do if one spouse refuses to properly report income or owes the IRS for back taxes? Don't the innocent spouse provisions protect the one spouse any way? In the end, it ends up costing them a lot to file this way. What are your thoughts?

[Brian EA]

I have a couple new clients that have been filing MFS for a couple years because their spouse has issues with the IRS (i.e. non filing, back taxes, or...). What do you recommend your clients do if one spouse refuses to properly report income or owes the IRS for back taxes? Don't the innocent spouse provisions protect the one spouse any way? In the end, it ends up costing them a lot to file this way. What are your thoughts?

I would prefer to do it that way rather than report incorrect income. By reporting incorrect income he is committing himself. Mfs is the way to go