How to properly file joint return if one spouse has no income?

Hey everyone, I'm in a situation where my husband lost his job back in August and hasn't been employed since. We've always filed jointly in previous years, but this is our first time with one of us having zero income for most of the year. I'm confused about how this affects our filing status. Do we still file jointly even though he had no income for like 5 months of the year? Does this change any deductions we normally take? I make about $68,000 annually as a nurse, and he only made around $31,000 before being laid off. Also wondering if there's anything special we need to document or if there are any benefits to filing separately this year instead? Any advice would be super appreciated!

0 coins

20 comments

Nia Thompson

•8M

You can absolutely still file jointly even when one spouse has no income! In fact, it's usually more beneficial to file jointly in your situation. When filing jointly, you'll include your husband's partial year income along with yours. The IRS doesn't care that one spouse didn't work for part of the year - what matters is your total household income for the tax year. You'll still qualify for the higher standard deduction that married filing jointly provides ($29,200 for 2025), which is typically better than filing separately. Also, filing jointly gives you access to certain tax credits and deductions that might be reduced or eliminated if you file separately. These include the Earned Income Credit, education credits, and child tax credits if you have children.

0 coins

Nia Thompson

•8M

Yes, unemployment benefits are considered taxable income and need to be reported on your joint tax return. Your husband should receive a Form 1099-G from the state showing the amount of unemployment compensation he received and any federal tax withheld from these payments. Unemployment benefits are fully taxable at the federal level, though some states don't tax them or only partially tax them. When you file jointly, these benefits will be combined with your other income and taxed at your joint tax rate.

0 coins

GalaxyGuardian

•8M

After being in a similar situation last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was seriously a game-changer for filing with an unemployed spouse. My wife was out of work for most of the year while I was the only one with income, and I was totally confused about how to handle it properly. The tool analyzed our specific situation and explained exactly how to maximize our tax benefits with one unemployed spouse. It pointed out deductions I would've missed and made sure we properly documented her unemployment benefits. The personalized guidance was way better than the generic advice I found online.

0 coins

GalaxyGuardian

•8M

It actually compares both filing statuses side-by-side and shows which one saves you more money in your specific situation. In my case, it showed we'd save over $1,800 by filing jointly versus separately, even with my wife being unemployed most of the year. The tool doesn't file your taxes for you - it analyzes your documents and gives you personalized advice that you can apply when filing through any tax service. It's more like having a tax expert look over your situation and point out opportunities you might miss. I was skeptical too, but it paid for itself many times over with the deductions it found.

0 coins

Aisha Abdullah

•8M

I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and wow! It definitely cleared up my confusion about filing with my unemployed husband. The analysis showed we'd save nearly $2,300 filing jointly vs separately, which I totally wouldn't have guessed. It also caught that we could claim a partial health insurance premium tax credit because of our income change that I had no idea about. The document analysis caught a few items on my husband's final pay stub that qualified for additional deductions too. Definitely less stressful than trying to figure everything out on my own!

0 coins

Yuki Tanaka

•8M

If you're having trouble reaching the IRS to ask questions about your joint filing situation, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was trying for WEEKS to get through to the IRS about a similar joint filing question when my wife wasn't working, and kept hitting dead ends with the automated system. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes who answered all my questions about reporting unemployment and filing jointly. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. It saved me hours of frustration and hold music. The agent even caught an issue with how my wife's previous employer had coded her separation that would have caused problems with our return.

0 coins

Yuki Tanaka

•8M

They use a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an agent finally picks up, you get a call back and are connected immediately. It's not a special connection - they're just doing the waiting for you instead of you having to sit there listening to hold music for hours. The service works with other government agencies too, not just the IRS. They essentially handle the most frustrating part (the waiting) so you don't have to waste your day. I was skeptical too until I got connected with an agent who answered all my questions about joint filing with an unemployed spouse.

0 coins

Andre Laurent

•8M

I need to admit I was totally wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I decided to try it anyway since I was desperate to ask about my joint filing situation. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes! The agent walked me through exactly how to handle my husband's unemployment benefits on our joint return and confirmed we'd save about $3,700 by filing jointly versus separately. They even helped me understand some credits we qualify for because of our income change. Definitely worth it instead of guessing or waiting until we filed incorrectly and got a notice later.

0 coins

AstroAce

•8M

Unfortunately, job search expenses are no longer deductible for most people. These were previously deductible as miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to the 2% AGI floor, but the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended these deductions from 2018 through 2025. If your husband is self-employed and looking for work in the same field, he might be able to deduct some expenses as business expenses on Schedule C, but for traditional employment job searches, these expenses are generally no longer deductible on federal returns.

0 coins

Zainab Ibrahim

•5M

Great question! You're definitely on the right track thinking about filing jointly. In your situation with your husband being unemployed for part of the year, filing jointly is almost certainly going to be your best option. Here's what you need to know: You'll report both your full $68,000 income and his $31,000 from before the layoff on a joint return. The IRS doesn't penalize you for one spouse having no income for part of the year - they just look at your total household income. A few key things to remember: - If your husband received unemployment benefits, those are taxable income and need to be included - You'll get the higher married filing jointly standard deduction ($29,200 for 2025) - You may qualify for additional credits that aren't available when filing separately - Make sure to have his final W-2 from his previous employer and any 1099-G forms for unemployment The documentation is pretty straightforward - just gather all your normal tax documents plus any unemployment paperwork. In most cases like yours, filing jointly saves significantly more money than filing separately, but it's worth running the numbers both ways to be sure.

0 coins