3 Reasons It’s Great to Be Coupled Up at Tax Time

Happy Valentine’s Day week to all of the lovebirds out there! Whether you’re enjoying a night out on the town or staying in for a movie night, we want to give you even more reasons to celebrate with your loved one with…you guessed it: tax benefits!

So, grab your significant other and read up on some of the perks of being coupled up come tax time.

Married couples filing jointly generally benefit from lower income tax rates than couples filing separately. This is especially attractive to couples with differing levels of income, but this is not the only way that marriage can have a positive impact on the size of your tax bill. A number of tax benefits may only be available to couples who file jointly, including:

Unlimited Marital Deduction

One of the most powerful tax benefits available to married couples is the unlimited marital deduction allowing assets to be transferred to a surviving spouse tax-free. Don’t ignore this! A freshly married couple in their mid-20s might not be thinking about estate planning, but as the years pass, it will increasingly loom large in their future decision-making.

Larger Tax-Free Gifts

Married couples also get more bang for their buck when it comes to the gift tax exclusion. Currently, there is an annual federal gift tax exclusion of $16,000 per spouse for 2022 ($17,000 for gifts made in 2023) meaning your recipient can “immediately and without restriction use, possess or enjoy the gifted property” without tax consequence to you. The gift tax exclusion applies to gifts for each donee. As a married couple, you get to combine this exclusion and can gift up to $30,000 tax-free per donee. So, this means that a married couple can gift up to $60,000 to two grandchildren tax-free.

As your wealth grows, be mindful of ways to use the gift tax exclusion to strategically transfer assets to loved ones (or between each other).

You Can Qualify for Earned Income Tax Credit

As a married couple filing jointly, you may have an easier time qualifying for Earned Income Tax Credit since qualifying income for married couples can be more than someone that is single (up to $59,187 married filing jointly, up to $53,057 single for tax year 2022). This is really important to keep in mind since the Earned Income Tax Credit can be up to $6,935 for a married couple with three kids for tax year 2022.

Don’t worry about knowing these tax rules. Meet with a TurboTax Full Service expert who can prepare, sign and file your taxes, so you can be 100% confident your taxes are done right. Start TurboTax Live Full Service today, in English or Spanish, and get your taxes done and off your mind.

5 responses to “3 Reasons It’s Great to Be Coupled Up at Tax Time”

1. 

   What is the biggest benefit versus last year for retired couple

   Reply
2. 

   If the marriage penalty tax is repealed can’t many married couples file as married filing separately and save taxes

   Reply
3. 

   My soon to be husband earns disability income from Social Security, I work fulltime. Can we file married jointly even though his income is not taxable?

   Reply
   • 

     What is the additional deduction for disability?

     Reply
   • 

     Yes I’m disabled both thru social security and veterans admin and I file jointly with my spouse

     Reply