Marriage Tax Calculator
Penalty or Bonus?
Enter both spouses' incomes to find out exactly how much more — or less — you'll owe in federal taxes after getting married. Instant results.
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What Is the Marriage Tax Penalty & Bonus?
When two people marry in the US, the IRS treats their combined income as a single unit. This shift in filing status can result in paying more taxes (the marriage penalty) or less taxes (the marriage bonus) compared to filing as two individual single filers.
The marriage penalty or bonus depends entirely on the income split between spouses and which tax brackets their incomes fall into — both individually and combined.
🔴 Marriage Penalty — Who Gets Hit
A marriage penalty occurs when a couple's Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) tax bill exceeds what they'd pay as two singles. It most affects:
- Dual-income couples where both earn similar amounts in the 22%–35% brackets
- High earners where combined income pushes into a higher bracket
- Couples where each spouse's income individually put them in upper-middle brackets
🟢 Marriage Bonus — Who Benefits
A marriage bonus occurs when a couple pays less combined tax filing jointly than they would as two singles:
- Couples where one spouse earns much more than the other
- Situations where one spouse has little or no income (stay-at-home partner)
- A high earner "shares" lower brackets with a lower-earning spouse under MFJ rates
Federal Income Tax Brackets
Our calculator uses the official IRS federal income tax brackets. Note how the MFJ brackets are not always exactly double the single brackets — this divergence at higher incomes is the root cause of the marriage penalty.
Single Filers
| Rate | Taxable Income Range | Std. Deduction |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $11,925 | $15,000 |
| 12% | $11,926 – $48,475 | |
| 22% | $48,476 – $103,350 | |
| 24% | $103,351 – $197,300 | |
| 32% | $197,301 – $250,525 | |
| 35% | $250,526 – $626,350 | |
| 37% | Over $626,350 |
Married Filing Jointly (MFJ)
| Rate | Taxable Income Range | Std. Deduction |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 – $23,850 | $30,000 |
| 12% | $23,851 – $96,950 | |
| 22% | $96,951 – $206,700 | |
| 24% | $206,701 – $394,600 | |
| 32% | $394,601 – $501,050 | |
| 35% | $501,051 – $751,600 | |
| 37% | Over $751,600 |