who needs to pay more tax?

Question

married or head of household?

i am filing head of household now but i might get married. would i have to pay more taxes? or would i pay less?

Answer 1

You don't have enough information here to give a fully informed answer, but I will use the information that you have,

Since you are currently filing as head of household, that means you have a qualifying dependant, probably a child. Assuming that you and your boyfriend are currently living together. You currently pay less in taxes now as a 'single' couple than if you were a 'married' couple.

That is because, at a minimum, you can claim head of household and he, at a minimum, can claim single. The standard deduction for head of household is $7550 and the standard deduction for a single filer is $5150. That is a combined standard deduction of $12,700. However, the standard deduction for Married filing jointly is $10,300.

Since there is an extra $2400 in deductions, that can be a tax savings between $240 and $600 for most people.

If your boyfriend can also claim head of household, without claiming your dependant, then your combined standard deduction is $15,100. That means an extra tax savings between $480 and $1200.

If you and your boyfriend own a house, then you can still claim head of household while he can itemize the deductions for the house. That will save you even more money.

Answer 2

You generally pay less tax as married filing jointly.

There are some anomalies, chiefly where you are entitled to Head of Household and your (unmarried) partner earns about the same amount as you.

Many couples get an accountant to figure out whether they are better off married or single. My son and his wife were secretly married (possible in California) a few months before their formal, religious marriage to save tens of thousands of dollars of tax.

Answer 3

In a weird, technical way, HoH pays less taxes. There is a "marriage penalty" for certain tax items. Many people legally separate just before the year end and get back together after Jan 2. If you have kids, it works out even better.

You claim HoH with your kids, then your bf/fiance claims single. You get the approx 7500 standard deduction, plus the dependent exemptions. Your bf/fiance gets approx 5000 standard for himself. However, as married, you both get approx 10000 standard.

Answer 4

This is too broad of a question to be sure but your standard deduction would be 7550 as Head of Household. And as Married filling Joint it would be 10300. However the main thing to consider is if you would get Earned income credit with or without your future husbands income. This is a bit complicated for me to help without some numbers like income number of children etc...

Answer 5

Paris Hilton !