What can I do if my husband refuses to file a tax return

File your own return as married filing separately, then report only any income you have. It's better to do this even if you don't work since not filing is a federal crime. If your husband won't you should.

TX is one of the community property states. Under IRS rules, a spouse filing separately may have to report half of the community incomes in the spouse's return. That is, even if you stay home and do not work outside the home, you may have to report half of your spouse's wages in your separate return. You can review Publications 17 and 555 for more details. The publications are available for free at www.irs.gov .