Marriage Tax Calculator
🇺🇸 US-specific: 2026 federal income tax brackets and standard deduction for Single and Married Filing Jointly.
Enter non-negative incomes for both spouses.
A "marriage penalty" happens when filing jointly costs more than filing single would have; a "marriage bonus" happens when it costs less — most common when spouses have very different incomes. This compares federal income tax only.
Free marriage tax calculator comparing combined tax if both spouses filed single versus filing jointly — using the real 2026 federal brackets, showing exactly whether you'd face a marriage penalty or bonus.
How it works
- Enter both spouses' gross annual incomes
- The calculator computes tax both ways: two single returns vs. one joint return
- See whether filing jointly costs more (penalty) or less (bonus), and by how much
Frequently asked questions
What causes a marriage penalty?
It happens when two similar incomes are combined and pushed into higher joint brackets faster than the married brackets widen to compensate — most likely when both spouses earn similar, higher incomes.
What causes a marriage bonus?
It's most common when one spouse earns significantly more than the other — combining incomes lets the lower earner's income fill up the wider married brackets at lower rates, reducing the couple's total tax compared to filing separately as singles.
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Update history
- 2026-09-01 Added: a cover image (two rings merging into one, with a small plus and minus sign floating near the join) — used as the card thumbnail, social share image, and blog title image.
- 2026-09-01 Launched: marriage tax calculator comparing combined-single vs. married-filing-jointly tax using 2026 federal brackets, showing the exact penalty or bonus amount. Entirely client-side, reuses the federal tax engine.