PA local help on signatures

[schirallicpa]

Maybe this is a dumb questions, but I'm good at those.

PA residents. Taxpayer and spouse are on the splits but still married at 12/31 , and he is in ND somewhere. Filing a joint return per her request so he doesn't have to file his own. I am sending DocuSign for him for 8879s and engagement letters to sign. The local PA return only shows spouse's income.  (She's the only one that worked.)   Does he really need to sign it?

[Catherine]

If his name is on it, I'd have him sign. 

[jklcpa]

5 hours ago, schirallicpa said:

Maybe this is a dumb questions, but I'm good at those.

PA residents. Taxpayer and spouse are on the splits but still married at 12/31 , and he is in ND somewhere. Filing a joint return per her request so he doesn't have to file his own. I am sending DocuSign for him for 8879s and engagement letters to sign. The local PA return only shows spouse's income.  (She's the only one that worked.)   Does he really need to sign it?

He would have to sign if that local return is on a joint basis.

I don't know which jurisdiction, but those are usually for earned income. If that is the case and he has no PA earned income, they could file the local EIT returns separately, each signing their own. She would file her own and sign it.  If he has no earned income and has permanently moved out of PA, he should file his marked "final". The generic local return has a place to give a reason for not having to file that in future, such as "retirement" or moved out of jurisdiction.

If you have the preprinted form from the local tax authority, the one printed in red drop-out ink, there should be account #s above each column that belongs to each of them individually.