Life

Love and Taxes: Tax Benefits of Marriage

Written by TurboTaxBlogTeam
Published Jan 31, 2024 - [Updated May 4, 2026]
11 min read
Reviewed by Lena Hanna, CPA Monika Krulic, EA

There are several tax benefits of marriage: access to wider tax brackets, a higher standard deduction, spousal IRA contributions, and increased eligibility thresholds for credits and deductions. For most couples with different income levels, filing jointly produces a lower combined tax bill than filing as two single taxpayers.

However, some couples where both spouses earn similar incomes may encounter a marriage penalty, meaning their combined tax bill is higher than it would be if they were single. Understanding both sides helps you plan effectively from the start.

Key takeaways

Filing jointly often means paying less in taxes because married couples get access to wider tax brackets and a higher standard deduction.
Marriage opens the door to spousal IRA contributions and higher eligibility thresholds for credits like the Child Tax Credit.
If both spouses earn similar incomes, filing jointly could result in a higher tax bill. Run both scenarios before you decide.

When those wedding bells start ringing, phrases like “tax bracket” and “married filing jointly” are probably the last thing on your mind. However, once the couple eats the cake, the newlyweds toss the bouquet, and the next chapter of your life officially begins, it’s time to settle down and brush up on what love means for tax purposes.

Generally, most couples with average incomes will see some benefits by filing jointly rather than filing as married filing separately. These benefits also extend to retirement plans because they offer various perks or opportunities for married couples to get a jump on retirement savings.

Below are some unique tax considerations for married couples.

Does getting married change your filing status?How to file Does getting married change your tax bracket?IRAs for you and your spouse How does the standard deduction change when you get married?What tax credits do married couples qualify for?Tax benefits for children FAQ Get your income taxes done right (no matter how you file)

Does getting married change your filing status?

A spouse isn’t the only “new” part of your life after your wedding. Depending on your tax approach, you’re also eligible for a different filing status. Once you’re officially a married couple, you’ll give up your previous status and choose between:

Married filing jointly
Married filing separately

Now the only thing you have to do is decide whether to file jointly or separately. Your filing status determines your tax rate, so you want to select the option that results in the lowest tax bill overall. For most couples, filing jointly is the most beneficial, but not always.

For example, filing a joint return can get you a better standard deduction and access to more credits, but filing separately may help you write off certain medical expenses that wouldn’t otherwise qualify. The best status depends on your unique situation, so be sure to chat about all the details with your spouse.

How to file

You don’t need to “report” these changes — just be sure you correctly list your new filing status. Because the IRS considers you married for the whole year, even if your wedding was on December 31st, you’ll use this updated information on your next tax return.

Let’s say you forget to make this change (the way some people forget to use their new last name when signing things!). It’s not the end of the world: The IRS allows you to amend your return for up to three years after the original tax filing deadline. However, once you file a valid joint return, you can’t change to separate returns after the due date of the tax return.

Does getting married change your tax bracket?

Your filing status determines your tax rate, but your income is what places you in a specific tax bracket, which is the income range that determines which rate (from 10% to 37%) applies to you. Both can change when you get married, and that’s often where couples see a real marriage tax break.

Single vs. married taxes

There are different tax rates for individuals and married couples filing jointly.

For example, a single person earning $55,000 per year in 2026 tops out at the 22% tax rate. Let’s say this person marries someone earning $30,000 annually. Their combined income is $85,000 — but they’ll top out in the 12% rate as long as they jointly file their tax returns.

Why? The 2026 tax brackets for married couples filing jointly are bigger than those for single filers. Here are two examples:

Tax Rate	Single	Married Filing Jointly
10%	$0–$12,400	$0–$24,800
12%	$12,401–$50,400	$24,801–$100,800
22%	$50,401–$105,700	$100,801–$211,400

Married people can earn larger amounts of money and still stay in the same tax bracket. As such, filing a joint return often means you can make more and pay less.

IRAs for you and your spouse

Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, help you to make contributions towards your retirement. These accounts are often tax-deferred, which means you’ll pay taxes on the money when you retire (at which point you’ll likely be in a lower tax bracket — and if that’s the case you’ll end up paying less tax). You may also be able to take your after-tax income and put it in a Roth IRA; that way, you don’t have to pay taxes on it again later.

One of the eligibility requirements for making a contribution to an IRA is that you must have taxable income. Many types of income are taxable, but not all are eligible for placement in these accounts; for example, you may have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits, but that doesn’t mean you can put this money in an IRA.

So what happens if you’re married and only one of you has income that is both taxable and capable of being contributed to an IRA? That’s when an exception kicks in.

According to this workaround, the spouse who has taxable compensation is permitted to contribute to an IRA account of the spouse without taxable income. This is called a spousal IRA, which, as our experts explain, “allows a working spouse to contribute to the retirement of a non-working spouse through an IRA.” To qualify for this exception, you have to be married and filing jointly.

How does the standard deduction change when you get married?

One of the biggest marriage tax deductions comes from the standard deduction, which increases when you file jointly. There are two kinds of tax deductions: standard and itemized.

Standard

The IRS usually rewards all taxpayers with an automatic deduction on their taxable income. This is known as the standard deduction. Here’s what that looks like in tax year 2026:

Filing status	Standard deduction
Single	$16,100
Married, filing separately	$16,100
Married, filing jointly	$32,200

Notice that the first two filing statuses have a lower standard deduction. When you’re married and filing jointly, you can think of the larger amount as each of you receiving the standard deduction and combining it.

Itemized

If you choose an itemized deduction, you skip the standardized amount and instead list allowable expenses you incurred over the tax year. This may include medical costs, interest, charitable contributions, and more.

Naturally, the possibilities double when you get married; after all, you’ll have twice the expenses. This is especially good news if you manage to stay in your tax bracket, because you could be:

Making more money
Paying a lower tax rate
Deducting more expenses

As you continue your married life, you may have opportunities to write off expenses such as home mortgage interest, daycare for young children, or college expenses for older kids.

On top of all this, couples who file together often receive higher income thresholds for certain deductions. That means they can often earn a larger combined income and still potentially qualify for certain tax breaks.

What tax credits do married couples qualify for?

Tax credits come in all shapes and sizes. They reduce the amount of tax you owe, while deductions reduce the amount of your income that is considered taxable. The best known are the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the American Opportunity Tax Credit. However, you may qualify for different credits when you get married and begin saving (and spending) in different ways.

Tax benefits for children

Many people in marriages are blessed with children. Sure, kids can be expensive — but the IRS has some tax benefits that can help with costs when raising dependents.

For the tax year 2026, the Child Tax Credit is worth up to $2,200 per qualifying dependent (indexed for inflation) under age 17. This credit is currently partially refundable up to $1,700 — which means it could:

Reduce your tax bill dollar-for-dollar
Allow you to get a tax refund

There’s also the Child and Dependent Care Credit, a credit used to pay for expenses for the care of a child or dependent while you work (or look for work). The credit for tax year 2026 is:

Up to $1,500 (50% of $3,000 in expenses) for one child under 13
Up to $3,000 (50% of $6,000 in expenses) for two or more children under 13

While this tax credit cuts off when your kids are teens, there’s no age limit if you have disabled children.

Of course, having children and getting married costs far more than these tax breaks — but when it comes to paying taxes, you still want to get every tax deduction and credit you’re entitled to.

FAQ

When you’re self-employed, you’re responsible for different types of taxes. That’s because traditional employers pay some of your social security and Medicare taxes — but if you work for yourself, you’re responsible for the full 15.3%. This “Self-Employment Tax” is in addition to regular income taxes.

If you’re in this situation, you might have some questions — for example, whether you can still use the “married filing jointly” status. If you or your spouse are self-employed, you can still file jointly.

While the choice is always up to you and based on your unique situation, it can often be helpful to file jointly, even if a spouse has no income. That’s because the spouse without income can still qualify for certain deductions and credits. If the spouse is getting unemployment benefits, that might be taxable as income and must be reported regardless of your filing status.

The marriage tax penalty happens when a married couple filing jointly ends up owing more in taxes than they would if they’d each filed as single. It typically affects couples where both spouses earn similar higher incomes. When two high earners combine their income on a joint return, it can push them into a higher tax bracket than either would hit on their own.

For most couples, filing jointly saves money thanks to wider brackets and a higher standard deduction. But if you and your spouse earn roughly the same amount and are both in higher brackets, it’s worth running the numbers both ways.

You can compare your tax bill under “married filing jointly” versus “married filing separately” to see which option results in a lower payment. TurboTax makes this easy by calculating both scenarios for you. The goal is to make sure you’re choosing the filing status that keeps more money in your pocket.

For most couples, filing jointly is the better option. You get access to wider tax brackets, a higher standard deduction, and broader eligibility for credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is generally not available if you file separately. That said there are situations where filing separately makes sense:

If one spouse has significant medical issues, filing separately lowers the income threshold you need to clear before you can deduct those costs.
Filing separately can also protect one spouse’s refund if the other has outstanding debts like back taxes or defaulted student loans.

If you are wondering whether you get a tax break for getting married, the answer for most couples is yes as long as you choose the right filing status. The best way to decide is to run your return both ways and compare. TurboTax can walk you through both scenarios so you can see exactly which status saves you more.

A spousal IRA lets a working spouse contribute to an IRA on behalf of a spouse who has little or no income. Normally you would need earned income to contribute to an IRA but if you are married and filing jointly, the working spouse’s income counts for both of you.

For the 2026 tax year each spouse can contribute up to $7,500 to an IRA or $8,600 if you’re 50 or older. That means a couple where only one person works could still put away up to $15,000 (or $17,200 if both are 50+) in combined IRA contributions.

A spousal IRA isn’t a special account type. It’s a regular traditional or Roth IRA in the non-working spouse’s name. The only difference is how you qualify to fund it. You have to be married and file a joint return to take advantage of this option. This is one of those tax benefits for getting married that often gets overlooked, especially for couples where one spouse stays home with kids or is in between jobs.

Get your income taxes done right (no matter how you file)

Filing jointly or separately?

Taking the standard deduction or itemizing everything?

Trying to juggle self-employment and a traditional job?

No matter what your tax situation looks like as a couple, we’re here to help. Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. No matter what moves you made last year, TurboTax will make them count on your taxes. Whether you want to do your taxes yourself or have a TurboTax expert file for you, we’ll make sure you get every dollar you deserve and your biggest possible refund – guaranteed.

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