Final answer:
Paul, living in California, would report $37,820 on his separate tax return, which includes half of the couple's total earned income and half of the interest income from a mutual fund acquired with wages during the marriage.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about how income should be reported when filing separate tax returns in California. Since California is a community property state, income earned during the marriage is considered community income and must be divided equally between spouses when they are filing separately. In this case, Paul's earned income is $48,600 and Anna's is $26,800. They also received $240 in interest income from Paul's mutual fund.
Their total earned income is $48,600 (Paul) + $26,800 (Anna) = $75,400. Half of this is $37,700. The interest income, although it comes from Paul's mutual fund, was acquired with wages during the marriage, so it is considered community property as well and should be split. Thus, Paul must report half of the interest income ($240/2 = $120) in addition to half of the earned income. Therefore, the total income Paul would report is $37,700 + $120 = $37,820.