Filing Status

Married couples have a choice when filing their 2025 federal income tax returns. They can file jointly or separately. What you choose will affect your standard deduction, eligibility for certain tax breaks, tax bracket and, ultimately, your tax liability. Which filing status is better for you depends on your specific situation. Minimizing tax In general, you should choose the filing status that results in the lowest tax. Typically, filing jointly will save tax compared to filing separately.

When we prepare your tax return, we’ll check one of the following filing statuses: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household or qualifying widow(er). Only some people are eligible to file a return as a head of household. But if you’re one of them, it’s more favorable than filing as a single taxpayer. To illustrate, the 2025 standard deduction for a single taxpayer is $15,000. However, it’s $22,500 for a head of household taxpayer. To be