Can I File Jointly If I Just Got Married?

Newly married individuals often navigate the complexities of tax season with questions about their filing status. Understanding how marriage impacts your tax obligations and available options is important for proper compliance. The timing of your marriage within a given year plays a significant role in determining how you file your taxes.

Determining Your Marital Status for Tax Purposes

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) establishes marital status for tax purposes based on your status on the last day of the tax year. If you are legally married on December 31st of a given year, the IRS considers you married for the entire tax year. This means that even if you were single for most of the year and married on the final day, you will file your taxes as a married individual. For example, a couple married on December 20th will be considered married for the entire tax year, just as a couple married on January 15th of the same year would be. This principle applies regardless of how long you have been married within that particular year. Your options for filing will then be limited to statuses available to married individuals, primarily Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately.

Married Filing Jointly

When choosing the Married Filing Jointly status, married couples combine their incomes, deductions, and credits onto a single tax return. Both spouses report all their worldwide income, regardless of who earned it, and claim eligible deductions and credits together. The tax liability is then calculated based on their combined adjusted gross income, utilizing the tax brackets for married filing jointly. This status often results in a lower overall tax liability compared to filing separately for many couples.

A significant aspect of filing jointly is the concept of joint and several liability. This means that each spouse is individually and collectively responsible for the entire tax liability shown on the joint return. If one spouse fails to report income or claims improper deductions, both spouses are accountable for any resulting tax, interest, or penalties. This liability extends even if the couple later divorces or separates, highlighting the shared financial responsibility.

Married Filing Separately

The Married Filing Separately status allows each spouse to file their own individual tax return, reporting only their own income, deductions, and credits. This means that neither spouse is responsible for the other’s tax liability on their separate return. Each spouse calculates their tax based on their own income using the tax brackets for married filing separately, which are generally half the size of the Married Filing Jointly brackets.

Choosing this status requires careful consideration of specific rules to ensure consistency between the two separate returns. For instance, if one spouse itemizes deductions, the other spouse must also itemize deductions, even if their standard deduction would be higher. Both spouses must also apply the same rules regarding community property income, if applicable, in states that recognize it. Certain tax credits and deductions become unavailable or are significantly limited when filing separately.

Comparing Married Filing Jointly and Separately

The differences between Married Filing Jointly and Married Filing Separately extend to various tax components. When filing jointly, couples are eligible for a larger standard deduction amount compared to two separate standard deductions for those filing separately. For instance, the standard deduction for married filing jointly in 2024 is $29,200, while for married filing separately, it is $14,600 per person.

Eligibility for certain tax credits also varies between these statuses. Couples filing jointly can claim credits such as the Child Tax Credit, education credits, and the Earned Income Tax Credit under broader income thresholds. Individuals filing separately may find their eligibility for these credits reduced or eliminated entirely due to lower income thresholds or specific restrictions.

The treatment of capital losses is different; a married couple filing jointly can deduct up to $3,000 of net capital losses against other income, a limitation that applies to the combined income. For those filing separately, each spouse is limited to deducting only $1,500 of net capital losses against their individual income.