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The Daily Insight

Is there a tax disadvantage to being married?

Author

John Thompson

Published Mar 24, 2026

While most taxpayers no longer pay a marriage penalty, high-income couples still do. If you and your spouse both earn more than $311,000 in 2020 ($314,000 in 2021), then you may end up paying more taxes as a married couple than you would have as single filers.

Why do married get taxed less?

1. Your tax bracket could be lower together. Congress took steps to reduce that penalty, making the tax bill for married couples filing jointly closer to the combined total they would have owed as single taxpayers. Depending on the incomes, there still can be a marriage penalty.

The married-filing-jointly thresholds no longer double the single-filer thresholds at the 35% bracket. If you and your spouse both earn more than $311,000 in 2020 ($314,000 in 2021), then you may end up paying more taxes as a married couple than you would have as single filers.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of issuing debt?

They can be secured or unsecured, and you can decide what priority they take over other debts. They can also offer a way of stabilising your company’s finances by having substantial debts on a fixed-rate interest. This offers some protection against variable interest rates or economic changes.

What are the benefits of paying income tax in India?

The benefits of having income tax in India can be divided into certain categories: If you are planning to visit countries like Canada, the USA, or the United Kingdom, it is compulsory for Indians to provide the income tax return (ITRs) of the last 3 years for easy visa approval.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of raising finance?

For more information, see advantages and disadvantages of raising finance through private placements. If bonds are sold on the public market, they can be traded – similar to shares. Some corporate bonds are structured to be convertible, which means they can be exchanged for shares at some point in the future.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of issuing bonds?

This offers some protection against variable interest rates or economic changes. Other advantages of using bonds to raise long-term finance include: not diluting the value of existing shareholdings – unlike issuing additional shares