Stupid Question

[kula23]

Stupid question for me to ask but since I have never been married before and my best friend asked me if it is true that if you are married, do you get increase in tax? Thanks!

[brad]

The short answer is yes.

Because you are married, your income is considered together when determining your tax rate.. and as you know, in our "progressive" income tax, the more you make, the higher percentage you have to pay back to the government.

It is especially bad/noticeable when one spouse makes considerably less than the other spouse. The effective tax rate could have the lower earning spouse's income essentially going entirely to taxes.

Please, everyone.. keep other replies apolitical. I did my best and only listing "progressive" in quotes. LOL

[dracula02]

I hate taxes... That's about as political as I'm going to get

[toverman]

Regardless of current conditions, the "marriage tax" has been with us for some time. But generally, and for me, having a combined income provides a layer of security in an uncertain world. I have not found another full-time job since quitting mine the middle of last year (I do bring in income, just less than half of what I used to). My wife's job is steady but hectic, so I provide comfort and support for her in taking care of the house and kids.

I'm looking for another full-time job, but it's going to have to be a good one to give up my flexibility. The benefits for us, not to mention the joys/ups and downs that come from a loving relationship, far outweigh the "tax."

[kula23]

I Just wanted to know how this works once you get those fat tax check and see if they do increase if you are married. It's all new to me. Thanks for information, tho. Believe me, I hate tax too but just wondering about those marriage.

[toverman]

Like Brad said, if you're filing jointly with your spouse then the tax bill will automatically be larger. Have dependent children, however, and you get some deductions for many aspects of their care.

[BWangPhoto]

Originally Posted by dracula02

I hate taxes... That's about as political as I'm going to get

Then you "hate" the many things your taxes provide, too? Correct? This country is by far better than any other I have been to or would want to live in. The taxes make that possible. (I am not going to address the political side of this and the ways taxes are misspent etc. ANY country and system has that.)

[Buddha]

Actually the combined tax on two combined incomes is less if you file jointly than if you file separately. and the standard deduction is larger if you are married. There are also certain tax credits that you can't take unless you are filing jointly. There are more examples, but this is how it works in real life.

[brad]

Originally Posted by Buddha

Actually the combined tax on two combined incomes is less if you file jointly than if you file separately. and the standard deduction is larger if you are married. There are also certain tax credits that you can't take unless you are filing jointly. There are more examples, but this is how it works in real life.

Depends on the situation for the filing jointly vs. separately.. but yes, most of the time it is better to file jointly... but you have to be married to file jointly.

My comments about the marriage tax was unmarried vs. married. An unmarried person may be in the 15% tax bracket, but because their new spouse makes over a certain amount, that person is now taxed in a 30% bracket. THAT is the "marriage tax." Even with the larger deductions, if there is a large difference in the earnings of one over the other, it won't make up for it.. and you will owe more taxes .. more dollars, not just percentage .. just because you got married.

Its not fair. But then, neither is a "progressive tax." Charging someone a higher percentage just because they make more money is a socialist policy. It would be the same as the grocery store charging $10 for a product to the poor single mother, but charging the guy in the BMW $100 for the same item.

Moderators: Ok.. if that statement was too political, please accept my apologies and feel free to edit it.

[Buddha]

If you look at any income amount in the tax tables, the lowest tax amount will be in the column for married, filing jointly regardless of what you calculate the tax rates at.
Look at the standard deductions. Marrieds get the most. Singles get the least.
What you have been saying in your posts is that marrieds make more so they pay at a higher tax rate than if they were single and filed at their individual income levels. That is not the same as marrieds pay more than singles.
Add in tax credits that are available to marrieds and the advantage for marrieds just gets bigger.