How to Choose Your Tax Filing Status if You’re Married
If you’re married then you’ve probably just always filed a joint return with your spouse. In fact, chances are you’ve never even considered filing any other way. However, for some people, married filing jointly is not the best option. Depending on your situation, it could be more advantageous to file separately. Here are some things to consider when choosing what filing status to use if you are married.
While in many cases, filing together could help lessen the tax hit on you and your spouse it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes, the only advantage of filing jointly is that you only have to worry about one return. If you and your spouse both work and one of you earns a lot more than the other, then it will typically be better to file jointly, as it will usually help reduce your combined tax bill.
On the other hand, there are other circumstances wherein it that might better to file separately. For example, if you both have taxable income and one of you has a lot of itemized deductions limited by adjusted gross income (AGI), then it might make sense to file separately. That’s because by filing separately, you can also separate both of your AGI’s. If your AGIs are lower on your separate returns, you can save on your tax bill.
This is just one example of where filing separately from your spouse could be helpful. However, it’s best to weigh all your options before making that choice. If you’re not sure what status to choose, you can contact us at GROCO for help. We’ll look at all the numbers and all the possible scenarios and choose the best path for you. Call us at 1-877-CPA-2006, or click here.
Attorneys for the Rich Anxiously Await Trump’s Plan for Estate Tax
Chances are most people will never have to worry about paying a federal estate tax, since the value of most people’s estates don’t exceed $5.34 million. However, if president Trump has his way, not even the very few taxpayers that would have otherwise been affected by this law, will have to worry about it…
Millions of Big Earners Should Expect Higher Payroll Taxes in ‘17
For those who have been excited to see their tax bill go down under a Trump administration, there might be cause for some concern, especially for some of the country’s highest earners. That’s because for the millions of workers who pass a certain threshold a tax hike is coming. So why the increase? First,…
How Will Tax Reform Really Take Shape Under Trump and Ryan?
It’s no secret that both President Trump and other republican lawmakers want to change t he nation’s tax code and lower taxes across the board. However, as you might expect, they have different visions as to how to go about this. To be clear, though, both sides of the argument, namely the president and House Speaker…
Could “Red” States Actually Be Considering Tax Hikes?
Revamping the nation’s tax system is a very hot topic in Washington D.C. at the moment and that’s not going to change any time soon. One of the reasons Donald Trump was elected president was his stance on simplifying the country’s tax system and lowering the nation’s tax bill. This was a common theme…