Marriage Tax Calculator

Compare individual vs joint tax filing for married couples. Discover if you have a marriage bonus or penalty.

Combined income

95.000 US$

Marriage bonus

-0 US$

You save by filing jointly

Filing separately

7432 US$

4016 US$ + 3416 US$

Filing jointly

7432 US$

0.0%

Individual breakdown

Spouse 1

Income

50.000 US$

Tax

4016 US$

Spouse 2

Income

45.000 US$

Tax

3416 US$

Visual comparison

Filing separately7432 US$
Filing jointly7432 US$

Income scenarios

IncomesSeparateJointDifference
50.000 US$ / 50.000 US$8032 US$8032 US$-0 US$
75.000 US$ / 25.000 US$9381 US$8032 US$-1349 US$
100.000 US$ / 0 US$13.841 US$8032 US$-5809 US$
80.000 US$ / 80.000 US$18.882 US$18.882 US$-0 US$
150.000 US$ / 50.000 US$29.555 US$27.682 US$-1873 US$

What is the marriage penalty?

Occurs when a married couple pays more taxes filing jointly than they would as singles. Typically happens when both have similar high incomes.

When is there a penalty?

Typically when both spouses have similar high incomes. Tax brackets don't exactly double for couples.

When is there a bonus?

When there's a large income difference. The lower-earning spouse uses lower brackets that the other wouldn't access.