Guides
Marriage and your tax bill, explained
Short, specific answers with real numbers behind them. Every figure on these pages is computed by the same engine as the calculator, so nothing here can drift from it.
- The EITC marriage penalty The largest marriage penalties come from the Earned Income Tax Credit, not from tax brackets. Here is why, with the numbers.
- When marrying cuts your tax bill Most couples who see a change see a marriage bonus, not a penalty. What causes it and how large it gets.
- Updating your W-4 after getting married Marrying changes your tax but not your withholding. What to change, and the two-earner step almost everyone misses.
- 2026 tax brackets for married couples The full 2026 federal brackets for married couples filing jointly, next to the single-filer brackets they are compared against.
- Does your wedding date change your taxes? Marital status for a whole tax year is set on 31 December. What a December wedding costs, or saves, against a January one.
Start with your own figures
All of these are easier to read once you have seen your own number. The marriage tax penalty calculator takes two incomes and the number of children in the household, and shows the difference between filing jointly and staying unmarried — including the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is where the largest penalties come from.