Tax year 2026 · US federal
Does getting married change your tax bill?
Enter what the two of you earn. We compare one joint return against two single returns and show the difference — a penalty if marrying costs you, a bonus if it saves you.
Your two incomes
Gross wages before deductions. We apply the 2026 standard deduction for you.
$2,850
Filing jointly saves you $2,850 a year.
- Filing jointlyOne married return
- $11,240
- Filing as two singles$12,070 + $2,020
- $14,090
- Bonus
- $2,850
What every other earner split would mean for you
Show these numbers as a table
What is driving your number
Four things can move a couple's tax bill at marriage. Here is which ones apply to you.
Turn on JavaScript to see which of these apply to your own figures.
Why the answer is so often “no difference”
For tax year 2026, every income threshold for a married couple filing jointly is exactly twice the threshold for a single filer — with one exception. The top 37% rate begins at $768,700 of joint taxable income, where two single filers would not reach it until $1,281,200 between them. The standard deduction is doubled too ($16,100 single, $32,200 joint).
So for a couple who earn roughly the same, and who claim the standard deduction, the brackets have nothing to give or take: the joint return and the two single returns land on the same number. That is not a bug in the calculator, it is the design of the tables — and it is why this page shows you the whole curve rather than a single figure.
The difference shows up when the two incomes are uneven. The lower earner's income fills the doubled lower brackets, pulling income out of the higher earner's top band, and the result is a marriage bonus. It also shows up for two high earners, where the un-doubled top threshold bites.
| Rate | Single, up to | Married jointly, up to | Doubled? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $12,400 | $24,800 | Exactly 2× |
| 12% | $50,400 | $100,800 | Exactly 2× |
| 22% | $105,700 | $211,400 | Exactly 2× |
| 24% | $201,775 | $403,550 | Exactly 2× |
| 32% | $256,225 | $512,450 | Exactly 2× |
| 35% | $640,600 | $768,700 | No — this is the penalty |
| 37% | and above | and above | Exactly 2× |