Marriage Tax Calculator
Compare your federal income tax filing single vs. married filing jointly to see whether the change in filing status creates a "marriage penalty" or "marriage bonus."
How to use the Marriage Tax Calculator
- Enter your inputs into the Marriage Tax Calculator above.
- Results update instantly as you type — no submit button needed.
- Adjust any value to see how the result changes in real time.
The marriage tax comparison
Marriage delta = Tax_MFJ − (Tax_single_A + Tax_single_B)
Calculate each partner's tax as a single filer, then compute the same combined income as married filing jointly. A positive delta is a penalty; a negative delta is a bonus.
Worked example
Two earners at $200,000 each (total $400,000) file single at total combined tax around $84,200. Filing jointly at $400,000: about $86,500. The marriage penalty here is roughly $2,300. Two earners at $50,000 and $30,000 typically see a marriage bonus of $1,000–2,000.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the marriage penalty exist?
Because some bracket thresholds for joint filers are not exactly twice the single-filer thresholds — particularly at higher incomes — so couples with two similar high incomes can owe more combined than they would single.
When is there a marriage bonus?
When incomes are very unequal. The lower-earning spouse's income gets "absorbed" into the higher-earning spouse's lower brackets, resulting in less total tax than two single filings.
Does filing separately help?
Rarely. Married filing separately uses unfavorable brackets and disqualifies you from many credits. It's only beneficial in narrow cases (large medical deductions, income-based student loan repayment).