Table of Contents

Married Filing Separately Explained: How It Works and Its Benefits

By

The Investopedia Team

Updated February 28, 2024

Reviewed by

David Kindness

Fact checked by

Jared Ecker

What Is Married Filing Separately?

Married filing separately is a tax status for married couples who choose to record their respective incomes, exemptions, and deductions on separate tax returns. This means both married spouses file separate tax returns. When one spouse has significant medical expenses or miscellaneous itemized deductions, or when both spouses have about the same amount of income, it might be wiser to file separately. The alternative to married filing separately is married filing jointly. It usually makes sense financially for married couples to file jointly.

Key Takeaways

Married filing separately is a tax status used by married couples who choose to record their incomes, exemptions, and deductions on separate tax returns.
Some couples might benefit from filing separately, especially when one spouse has significant medical expenses or miscellaneous itemized deductions.
However, filing separately means potentially not being able to take advantage of certain tax benefits offered exclusively to joint filers.

How Married Filing Separately Works

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) gives taxpayers five tax filing status options when they submit their annual tax returns: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, or qualifying widow(er).

Anyone who files as married in either category—filing separately or filing jointly—must be married as of the last day of that tax year. In other words, someone who filed taxes for the year 2022 as married must have been married no later than Dec. 31, 2022.

Using the married filing separately status may be appealing and offer financial advantages to certain couples. Combining incomes and filing jointly might push them into a higher tax bracket and thus increase their tax bill.

When couples file separately, they must include their spouse’s information on their returns. According to the IRS, if you and your spouse file separate returns and one of you itemizes deductions, then the other spouse will have a standard deduction of zero. Therefore, the other spouse should also itemize deductions.

Although there are financial advantages to filing separately, couples miss out on tax credits meant for couples who file jointly. If you and your spouse both generated taxable income, calculate your tax bill as a joint and separate filer before filing, to determine which of the two will save you more money.

Special Considerations

If you live in community property states—Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin—you may need to see a tax professional, because the rules about separate incomes can be tricky.

In most cases, it makes sense for married couples to file jointly, especially since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 was passed. However, there are exceptions, including when one spouse has significant miscellaneous deductions or medical expenses.

Standard Deduction for Married Filing Separately

As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, the standard deduction rose substantially in the 2018 tax year.

A standard deduction is a portion of income that’s not subject to tax, thereby reducing taxable income. The IRS allows tax filers to take a standard deduction. However, the deduction amount is dependent on your filing status, age, and whether you are disabled or claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. The standard deduction for the 2023 tax year is:

$13,850 for single taxpayers and married couples filing separately
$20,800 for heads of household
$27,700 for married couples filing jointly

As a result, one spouse must have significant miscellaneous deductions or medical expenses for the couple to gain any advantage from filing separately.

The IRS introduced Direct File, which allows qualifying taxpayers to file their federal tax returns directly for free. The pilot is available to taxpayers who lived in Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State, and Wyoming in 2023. Refer to the IRS website to see if you qualify.

Married Filing Separately vs. Married Filing Jointly

Married filing jointly offers the most tax savings, especially when spouses have different income levels. If you use the married filing separately status, then you may be unable to take advantage of a number of potentially valuable tax breaks, such as the following:

Child and Dependent Care Credit

The Child and Dependent Care Credit is a nonrefundable tax credit used by taxpayers to claim unreimbursed childcare expenses. Childcare can include fees paid for babysitters, daycare, summer camps—provided that they aren’t overnight—and other care providers for children under the age of 13 or dependents of any age who aren’t physically or mentally able to care for themselves.

American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)

The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) helps offset costs for post-secondary education. It was introduced in 2009 and requires that couples filing jointly have a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of no more than $160,000 to be eligible for full credit. Couples who make $160,000 to $180,000, meanwhile, can apply for a partial AOTC.

The maximum reward is an annual credit of $2,500 on qualified educational expenses for the first four years that a student attends an approved postsecondary institution.

Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC)

The Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) allows parents to claim the amount spent on tuition and receive a 20% tax credit on the first $10,000 of qualified education expenses, resulting in savings of up to $2,000 on each tax return. Qualifying tuition includes undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree courses.

There is an income limit to qualify for the LLC. The MAGI is $80,000 for 2023 for single filers and $160,000 for married couples filing jointly.

A couple who files a separate tax return can also take deductions for their contributions to a traditional individual retirement account (IRA), but the income limits for taking them as a deduction if they or their spouse has a retirement plan at work are much lower than for those who file jointly. The maximum contribution permitted in 2023 is $6,500 and $7,500 for those aged 50 and over.

Any expenses related to the adoption of a qualifying child can be taken if couples file jointly, but probably not if they file separately (check with a tax expert). The maximum credit allowed for adoptions is the total amount of qualified adoption expenses up to $15,950 in 2023.

Benefits of Married Filing Separately

Tax bills aside, there is one scenario in which married filing separately may be especially wise. If you don’t want to be liable for your spouse’s taxes and suspect that they are hiding income or claiming deductions or credits falsely, then filing separately is probably the best option.

Signing a joint return means that both spouses are responsible for the accuracy of the return and for any tax liabilities or penalties that may apply. By signing your return and not a joint one, you are only responsible for the accuracy of the information on your return and for any tax liability and penalties that may ensue.

Do You Need Your Spouse’s Income for Married Filing Separately?

It’s not necessary for married couples to declare their spouse’s income when filing separately—unless they live in a community property state.

Can You File Separately After Filing Jointly?

Yes, married couples are permitted to file jointly one year and separately the next year.

What Are the Drawbacks to Married Filing Separately?

Married filing separately is the ideal tax filing status if both spouses want to keep their tax liabilities separate. But if you file separate returns, you miss out on a number of tax credits and deductions that are meant for married couples, such as the earned income tax credit and the American Opportunity Tax Credit.

The Bottom Line

Choosing your tax filing status may be easy if you're single or widowed. But, if you're married, it may be a little more complicated. That's because you can file jointly or separately. If you file jointly, you can take advantage of certain tax credits and deductions. If, on the other hand, you don't want to be responsible for your spouse's taxes, consider filing your returns separately.

Article Sources

Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

Internal Revenue Service. “The Hows of Taxes: Module 5: Filing Status.”
Internal Revenue Service. "A Tax Checklist for Newly Married Couples."
Internal Revenue Service. “Other Deduction Questions.”
Internal Revenue Service. “Publication 555, Community Property: Married Individuals.”
Internal Revenue Service. “Be Tax Ready — Understanding Tax Reform Changes Affecting Individuals and Families.”
Internal Revenue Service. “Publication 504, Divorced or Separated Individuals."
Internal Revenue Service. “IRS Provides Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2023.”
Internal Revenue Service. "Direct File."
Internal Revenue Service. “Child and Dependent Care Credit FAQs: Am I Eligible to Claim the Credit?”
Internal Revenue Service. “Education Credits—AOTC and LTC."
Internal Revenue Service. "Publication 503: Child and Dependent Care Expenses," Pages 7-8.
Internal Revenue Service. “Topic No. 602 Child and Dependent Care Credit.”
Congress.gov. "H.R.1 - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
Internal Revenue Service. “American Opportunity Tax Credit.”
Internal Revenue Service. “Lifetime Learning Credit.”
Internal Revenue Service. “IRS Provides Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2022.”
Internal Revenue Service. "IRA Deduction Limits." Click through to read 2022 and 2023 limits, depending on whether you or your spouse has retirement plan at work.
Internal Revenue Service. "Retirement Topics - IRA Contribution Limits."
Internal Revenue Service. "Topic No. 607: Adoption Credit and Adoption Assistance Programs."

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