Tax Benefits of Getting Married: 7 Surprising Perks That Could Save You Thousands

Why Marriage Affects Your Taxes in the First Place

First things first: once you say "I do," the IRS sees you differently, like how a gym membership suddenly makes you "fit" on paper. If you're legally married by December 31, the government considers you married for the whole year. This shift changes your filing status and opens the door to several tax benefits of getting married, including key IRS tax benefits and marriage rules.

Two common filing statuses are available to married couples:

• Married Filing Jointly: Often the most advantageous.
• Married Filing Separately: Usually results in fewer perks and more restrictions.

Choosing to file jointly can unlock major married filing jointly tax benefits and put money back in your pocket. Also, filing a joint tax return may streamline your financial picture, making it easier to qualify for loans or future financial aid.

Benefit #1 – A Higher Standard Deduction

The standard deduction is one of the most straightforward tax breaks for married couples. The standard deduction for tax year 2025 is $31,500 for married couples filing jointly and $15,750 for both single filers and married individuals filing separately, as set forth in legislation passed by Congress, The Big Beautiful Bill.

So, what changes after marriage? At first glance, it looks like there's no extra tax savings—$15,750 each adds up to $31,500 either way. But here's the catch: filing a joint tax return lets you apply that full $31,500 deduction against your combined taxable income, which can be especially helpful for single-income households or couples with uneven earnings.

Why it matters: If one spouse earns $70,000 and the other spouse's income is zero, filing separately would leave one partner unable to fully use their $15,750 deduction. However, filing jointly gives you the full $31,500 deduction against that $70,000 taxable income, resulting in bigger tax savings and potentially a smaller tax bill.

Bonus: Filing one return instead of two saves time, reduces paperwork, and may reduce tax prep costs for the tax year.

Benefit #2 – Access to Bigger Tax Credits

When you file jointly, you don’t just share a tax return—you also unlock wider access to valuable tax credits. Many credits are available to all filing statuses, but married couples filing jointly benefit from higher income thresholds and larger potential savings.

These credits can significantly lower your tax bill—or even increase your refund. 

Tax credits not available to single or head of household filers at the same level:

• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – Married filing jointly status has higher income thresholds than single filers, allowing more moderate-income couples to qualify for the credit. However, EITC is not available to married individuals filing separately except under specific conditions outlined by the IRS.
• Saver’s Credit – Offers double the maximum credit to joint filers and phases out at a higher income.
• American Opportunity Credit – Still available to singles, but phaseouts hit much earlier than for joint filers.

By contrast, married couples filing separately lose access to these credits altogether. Unless they meet narrow exceptions, the IRS disqualifies MFS filers from the EITC, and typically from the American Opportunity and Saver’s Credits.

👉 Bottom line: Your filing status directly impacts eligibility and value of some of the biggest tax credits available. If you're married, filing jointly usually opens more financial benefits. Check out the tax impact of marriage.

Benefit #3 – Lower Effective Tax Rate

When you file jointly, your incomes are combined, as are your income tax brackets. That means you may pay a lower effective tax rate than if you filed separately. This helps prevent "bracket creep," where higher income pushes you into a higher tax rate during the tax year.

Example: A couple with taxable incomes of $60K and $140K separately might hit different brackets, but together they may stay in a lower tax bracket thanks to larger joint thresholds. It’s one of the lesser-known financial benefits of marriage.

Pro Tip: Use an income tax estimator tool to compare how much you’d owe jointly vs. married filing separately. It can determine whether you have a lower tax bracket with a joint tax return.

Benefit #4 – Better Eligibility for IRA Contributions

If one spouse doesn’t work or earns less, marriage can still help with retirement savings through Spousal IRA Contributions. One of the tax benefits of marriage is that the working spouse can contribute to a retirement fund on behalf of their unemployed partner.

Income thresholds for Roth and traditional Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) are also more generous for joint filers, making retirement planning more accessible and tax-efficient for couples.

Scenario: Let’s say one partner earns $80K and the other is a stay-at-home parent during the tax year. Under the current tax code, filing jointly allows the working spouse to contribute to a Spousal IRA on behalf of the non-working spouse. This effectively lets you contribute to two IRAs—potentially doubling your retirement savings and maximizing long-term tax advantages as a married couple.

Benefit #5 – Estate and Gift Tax Exemptions

One of the most valuable yet overlooked tax benefits of marriage is the ability to transfer assets between spouses without triggering federal taxes. Thanks to the unlimited marital deduction, married couples can transfer unlimited assets to each other tax-free, both during life and after death. This offers powerful estate tax advantages that unmarried couples don’t get.

What Is the Unlimited Marital Deduction?

The unlimited marital deduction permits individuals to transfer an unlimited amount of assets to a U.S. citizen spouse without incurring federal estate or gift tax, either during life or at death, according to IRS guidance in Publication 559. This applies whether the transfer is made while both spouses are alive or after one has passed. It's often used to delay estate taxes until the surviving spouse's death, keeping more wealth within the family.

Gift Tax Exemption in Action

In addition to the marital deduction, each spouse can give up to $19,000 per year (2025) to any individual without needing to file a gift tax return. When done correctly, you can also “gift-split,” doubling the tax-free gift amount to an individual.

The good news is that you can give unlimited gifts to your spouse without the need to file a gift tax return. However, that doesn't exempt the receiving spouse from capital gains tax if they later sell the gift for profit in the future.

Estate Planning Benefits

• No estate tax when assets pass to a surviving spouse
• No cap on tax-free gifts between spouses
• Portability allows a surviving spouse to use the unused portion of their deceased spouse’s federal estate tax exemption — currently $13.99 million for 2025. Under Section 70106 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, this exemption increases to $15 million per individual (or $30 million for married couples) for estates of decedents dying and gifts made after December 31, 2025.

Source: IRS, "Estate and Gift Tax FAQs.”

Important Notes

• The unlimited marital deduction only applies if your spouse is a U.S. citizen. If not, a Qualified Domestic Trust (QDOT) is required to delay taxes.
• While the deduction postpones the estate tax, it doesn’t eliminate it. Depending on the estate’s size and applicable exemption at the time of the second spouse's death, taxes may be due when that spouse dies.

These estate tax advantages make marriage an essential consideration for anyone doing long-term financial or legacy planning. Married couples can coordinate more effectively, defer taxes, and preserve more of their assets for heirs. Plus, being married simplifies the paperwork and estate planning process.

Benefit #6 – Higher Thresholds for Deductions

Joint filers have higher thresholds for several tax deductions:

• Medical Expenses
• Charitable Contributions
• Mortgage Interest

For example, medical expenses are only deductible if they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Filing jointly increases your combined AGI, which can make it more difficult to cross that threshold.

In contrast, filing separately may allow the spouse with high medical expenses and a lower income to meet the 7.5% threshold more easily using their individual AGI. However, this comes at a trade-off: married filing separately disqualifies you from the standard deduction if one spouse itemizes, and you may lose access to other valuable tax credits.  

Bonus Insight: Mortgage interest may be deducted by the person legally liable for the loan and who actually pays the interest, regardless of marital status. For married couples filing jointly, the deduction is generally allowed if at least one spouse is liable for the mortgage and the property is a qualified home. If filing separately, each spouse may only deduct interest they actually paid and must meet ownership and liability rules individually.

Source: IRS, "About Publication 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction."

Benefit #7 – Simplified Filing (Usually)

Think of filing a joint federal income tax return like combining shopping lists—it’s more efficient. It’s also like carpooling for your finances: one route, fewer stops, and you both get there faster. One return, one set of documents, and less back-and-forth. Thus, many tax professionals say it is a convenient tax filing option for married couples.

Plus, tax software makes joint filing even easier. Typically, you only need one login, payment, and W-2 import setup. Need help? Grab our Newlywed Tax Starter Kit for checklists, deadlines, and walkthroughs.

Tip: Married couples should store all shared documents in a single digital folder with clear naming conventions to avoid last-minute stress. They should also update their W-4.

But It’s Not Always a Win: Marriage Penalty Triggers

Sometimes, getting married can raise your tax bill, especially if both partners have high incomes. This is known as the marriage penalty—and yes, it's a real thing. It can offset other financial benefits of marriage.

Here’s how it works:

• For some high-income couples, tax brackets for married filing jointly are not simply double those of single filers, potentially triggering a ‘marriage penalty’ when both partners earn high incomes.
• Two high earners can quickly cross into a higher tax bracket together, even if individually they wouldn’t.
• Some credits and deductions phase out faster or disappear entirely at certain income levels for married couples filing jointly.

Marriage Penalty Example: Two High Earners at $600,000 Each

Scenario: Jordan and Riley each earn $600,000.

Step 1: Filing Separately as Single Individuals

Each person’s taxable income after the standard deduction ($15,750):

Using 2025 single brackets:

👉 Total tax per person ≈ $174,035

Step 2: Filing Jointly as Married

Combined income: $1,200,000

Married Filing Jointly brackets:

👉 Total joint tax ≈ $356,408

Marriage Penalty Summary

Takeaway

Tax brackets for married individuals filing jointly are not simply double those for single filers at all income levels. According to IRS tax tables for 2025, certain bracket thresholds for joint filers increase less than twofold compared to single filers, which can result in a higher combined tax liability for some dual-income couples.

Source: IRS, "Publication 505 (2025), Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax."

Married Filing Separately: Not Always a Loophole

You might think filing separately could sidestep the marriage penalty and result in tax savings, but not so fast. While it seems like a strategic workaround, Married Filing Separately (MFS) often comes with many drawbacks.

Here’s what to watch out for:

• Limited access to credits: Choosing MFS disqualifies you from claiming major credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the Education Credits (unless specific conditions are met).
• Higher tax rates kick in faster: The IRS doesn’t reward separation—MFS brackets are narrower than single filer brackets, which means you could pay more than expected.
• Deductions get tricky: Itemizing? Both spouses have to do it, or neither can. Plus, deductions like student loan interest, education expenses, and IRA contributions may be reduced or eliminated.

When could MFS actually make sense?

• There are legal or liability issues, such as one partner owing back taxes or having audit risk for the tax year.
• You want to separate finances intentionally during divorce or separation proceedings.

Learn more in our Filing Jointly vs. Separately Comparison.

💡 Pro Tip: Filing separately may reduce your tax bill in specific scenarios, such as student loan repayment or high medical expenses, but generally limits access to major credits and deductions, per IRS Publication 501.

Final Thoughts – Is Getting Married Worth It for Taxes?

Still wondering what the tax advantages of getting married are? Getting married opens the door to various financial perks—from a higher standard deduction and better credit eligibility to simplified filing and improved retirement planning. Even filing after a late-year wedding (say, in October or December) can let you claim the full benefits of being married for the entire tax year, including credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit. These tax benefits of marriage can translate into real savings and a more efficient tax experience.

Of course, not every couple will come out ahead. The marriage penalty might kick in if both partners have high incomes or complex finances. That’s why estimating your taxes using both filing statuses before deciding is essential. Run the numbers as married filing jointly and separately to find which status provides significant tax benefits.

The bottom line? The tax benefits of marriage are real, but understanding your specific situation is key.

📣 Get the Newlywed Tax Starter Kit

Includes a printable checklist, key IRS deadlines, and an easy walkthrough for your first joint return. Perfect for couples who want to stay on top of their finances without the guesswork and learn the main tax benefits of marriage.