Taxes aren\u2019t exactly romantic, but your relationship status can have a big effect on your taxes.<\/p>\n
Whether you just got married, recently combined finances, or are navigating a more complex partnership, the IRS uses your status as of Dec. 31 to determine how you file for the entire year. That means one life change can ripple through your withholding, credits, and overall tax bill \u2014 sometimes in ways couples don\u2019t see coming, for better or for worse.<\/p>\n
So, whether you\u2019ve been married for years or just tied the knot, here\u2019s what you need to know \u2014 from how to file together for the first time to the tax advantages of being married and when filing separately might be smart.<\/p>\n As we said earlier, the IRS generally looks at your marital status as of Dec. 31, so if you were married by the end of 2025, you\u2019re considered married for that entire tax year and will need to choose a filing status: either married filing jointly or married filing separately.<\/p>\n If you recently got married and you\u2019re filing together for the first time, there are a few things to put on your radar right away.<\/p>\n First, the IRS says newlyweds should make sure any name change is reported to the Social Security Administration and that any address change is updated with the U.S. Postal Service, employers, and the IRS.<\/p>\n If your tax documents don\u2019t match your legal name or current address, you\u2019re setting yourself up for potential headaches down the road. The IRS offers four ways to update your address:<\/p>\n Fill out Form 8822<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Use your new address when you file your tax return<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Send a signed written statement with your full name, old and new addresses, and Social Security number to the address where you would file your return<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Tell them in person or by phone. They\u2019ll want to verify your identity, and you\u2019ll have to have the following on hand: full name, old and new addresses, and Social Security number.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n You should also take a fresh look at your tax withholding.<\/p>\n \u201cReviewing your withholdings as a married couple is critical so you don’t get slammed with a surprise tax bill after you get married,\u201d said Phillip Hulme, CFP and chief financial advisor at Stars and Stripes Financial Advisors in Atlanta.<\/p>\n Hulme said this is often a big issue when couples earn significantly different amounts of income. \u201cEmployers don’t know what your new spouse earns, so they don’t know how much to withhold from your paycheck,\u201d explained Hulme.<\/p>\n You can use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator to calculate your withholding.<\/p>\n But automatically switching your W-4 withholding to \u201cmarried filing jointly\u201d doesn\u2019t always make sense, though that option sounds intuitive because it matches how many couples ultimately file their taxes.<\/p>\n That disconnect can create problems in dual-income households, said Ryan Johnson, CFP and founder at Hundred Financial Planning. \u201cThis can actually result in you withholding too little in taxes. If you select \u2018married filing jointly\u2019 on your W-4, the system can assume this is the only<\/em> income that your household will make.\u201d<\/p>\n So if both partners are working, selecting \u201cmarried filing jointly\u201d can end up withholding half<\/em> of what you needed to, said Johnson.<\/p>\n \u201cIt often makes sense to keep the tax withholding the same unless there\u2019s been meaningful income changes at the same time as the marriage, like someone deciding not to work,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/em>Withholding tax: What is it, and how can I check or change it?<\/em><\/p>\n Marriage doesn\u2019t automatically lower your taxes, but it can unlock better tax treatment, especially if you file a joint return.<\/p>\n The most obvious benefit is a bigger standard deduction. For the 2025 tax year (for filing taxes in 2026), the standard deduction is $31,500 for married filing jointly, compared with just $15,750 for single filers and married people filing separately.<\/p>\n If you file jointly, you effectively get double the 2025 standard deduction. That alone can reduce taxable income substantially, especially for couples who don\u2019t itemize.<\/p>\n There are also itemized deduction differences. For example, the 2025 cap on the deduction for state and local taxes is $40,000 for joint filers, compared with $20,000 for married couples filing separately. That won\u2019t help every household, but for higher earners in high-tax states, it can make a noticeable difference.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/em>Best tax deductions to claim this year<\/em><\/p>\n This is where filing jointly often pulls ahead. Some tax breaks are either completely unavailable or much harder to claim if you file separately.<\/p>\n Filing separately generally bars couples from claiming the following tax breaks:<\/p>\n American opportunity tax credit<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Lifetime learning credit<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Student loan interest deduction<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Earned income tax credit, unless you qualify for the narrow exception for certain separated spouses<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Child and dependent care credit in most cases, unless you meet the IRS exception for certain spouses living apart<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Adoption credit in most cases<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Enhanced senior deduction under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Deduction for qualified tips (\u201cno tax on tips\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Deduction for qualified overtime (\u201cno tax on overtime\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Exclusion of interest from qualified U.S. savings bonds used for higher education<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Joint filers also usually get more favorable income limits before certain benefits phase out.<\/p>\n That can matter for traditional IRA deductions and other tax perks that shrink as income rises.<\/p>\n For tax year 2025, if you\u2019re covered by a workplace retirement plan, the deduction for traditional IRA contributions phases out at a modified adjusted gross income of $126,000 to $146,000 for those married filing jointly.<\/p>\n But for single filers, the phaseout is between $79,000 and $89,000, and for married filing separately, the tax perks of contributing to a traditional IRA disappear completely if your AGI is above just $10,000.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/em>Free tax filing: How to file your 2025 return for free<\/em><\/p>\n Marriage can also create more planning opportunities over time.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting married is a great opportunity to think about taxes more strategically over the long term,\u201d said Jake Taylor, CFP and founder of Astra Wealth Management in San Diego.<\/p>\n Filing jointly may make it easier to coordinate retirement contributions and future estimated tax payments as a household, added Taylor. \u201cAs couples age, or if they’re getting married later in life, strategies such as Roth conversions, RMD planning, and timing the sale of investments \u2014 along with gifting and estate planning \u2014 can become very important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean filing jointly is always the best choice. But in many cases, it gives couples a wider range of tax-saving opportunities.<\/p>\n One marriage-related tax benefit people often overlook is the spousal IRA.<\/p>\n Despite the name, it\u2019s not a joint retirement account. Each spouse still owns their own IRA. If you file a joint return, a spouse without taxable compensation can still contribute to an IRA, as long as the couple has enough earned income and meets the normal eligibility rules.<\/p>\n That can be especially helpful if one spouse stepped back from work or stayed home with children.<\/p>\n However, marriage can also create new restrictions. If your combined income gets too high, you may lose the ability to contribute directly to a Roth IRA.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes people don’t realize that once they get married, their income disqualifies them from contributing the way they were before,\u201d said Gabbi Cerezo, CFP at Sustain Financial in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n For tax year 2025, married filing jointly Roth eligibility phases out from $236,000 to $246,000. But for married filing separately, the rules are much harsher if you lived with your spouse during the year. In that case, the phaseout range is $0 to $10,000.<\/p>\n In other words, married filing separately can eliminate direct Roth IRA eligibility almost instantly.<\/p>\n Most financial experts recommend filing jointly if you\u2019re married since doing so often leads to a lower tax bill. But there are times when married filing separately is the smarter move.<\/p>\n Filing separately may be worth considering if:<\/p>\n One spouse owes back taxes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n One spouse owes unpaid child support.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n One spouse has certain debts that could trigger a refund offset.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n One spouse qualifies for reduced student loan payments under an Income Driven Repayment (IDR) plan.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n One spouse doesn\u2019t trust the other\u2019s reporting or tax behavior.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n If you file a joint return, your refund could be used to pay certain debts that belong only to your spouse, such as back taxes, unpaid child support, or some other government-related debts. Filing separately may help protect the other spouse\u2019s refund.<\/p>\n Another common scenario involves federal student loans, said Cerezo.<\/p>\n \u201cFiling separately can make sense if one partner has large student loan debt and is in an IDR plan,\u201d she explained. \u201cBy filing separately, they exclude their spouse’s income and can qualify for a lower IDR payment.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s one more important tax rule to note: When filing separately, if one spouse itemizes deductions, the other spouse generally has to itemize, rather than taking the standard deduction.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/em>There are 5 federal tax filing statuses. Which one is right for you?<\/em><\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a universal right or wrong answer. You have to run the numbers and figure out what works best for your specific situation. The cleanest way to do that is to prepare the return both ways in tax software or have a tax professional compare the outcomes.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just look at the refund figure in isolation. Look at total tax liability, eligibility for credits, retirement account implications, and any downstream effect on student loan payments or debt offsets.<\/p>\n A smaller refund doesn\u2019t always mean a worse overall result. A bigger refund isn\u2019t always a good thing, and it could mean your withholding was off all year.<\/p>\n In general, most financial experts recommend filing together. The perks simply outweigh the downsides in most cases.<\/p>\n Learn more: <\/em>Tax refunds are bigger this year. Why that\u2019s not good news for taxpayers.<\/em><\/p>\n Often, couples going through a divorce still benefit financially from filing a joint return for the final year of marriage. However, cooperation can break down during divorce negotiations, and one spouse may prefer filing separately for legal or personal reasons. A tax professional can help determine which option makes the most financial sense.<\/p>\n No. If you were legally married as of Dec. 31, the IRS generally doesn\u2019t let you file as single for that tax year. Instead, you\u2019ll need to file as either married filing jointly or married filing separately. The main exception is if you qualify for head of household under special rules, which usually requires living apart for a significant part of the year and meeting other IRS requirements.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
Report a name and address change (if applicable)<\/h3>\n
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Better access to credits and phaseouts<\/h3>\n
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