Just got married - Do I need to update my marital status with employer? Joint file married next year?

Congratulations on your marriage! You should definitely update your W-4 with your employer since your tax withholding might need adjusting based on your new filing status. This doesn't automatically happen when you get married - you need to submit a new W-4 form to your HR department. As for filing jointly vs. separately next year, it really depends on your specific financial situation, but married filing jointly is generally more beneficial for most couples. The tax brackets are more favorable, and you'll have access to certain credits and deductions that might be limited or unavailable when filing separately. With your blended family situation, I'd recommend comparing both scenarios. Calculate your taxes both ways (jointly and separately) to see which gives you the better outcome. With one spouse working part-time, filing jointly might be advantageous because the lower income could pull down the overall tax rate on the higher income.

After my wedding last year, I was in the same boat trying to figure out all the tax implications. I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much stress! I uploaded our financial info and it showed me side-by-side comparisons of filing jointly vs. separately. The analysis made it super clear which option would save us more money based on our specific situation with kids from previous relationships. It also explained exactly what forms I needed to update with my employer and gave me deadlines for when everything needed to be done. Seriously made the whole process so much easier!

I wanted to follow up about taxr.ai that I was skeptical about earlier. I decided to give it a try after my friend recommended it too, and wow - I was completely wrong. The security is legit, and it seriously helped me figure out our complicated tax situation with our blended family. The tool showed me that filing jointly would save us about $3,400 compared to filing separately in our situation! It also highlighted that I needed to update my W-4 immediately and showed exactly how to fill it out based on our combined incomes. They even have specific guidance for teachers and education professionals about deductions you can claim. Definitely worth checking out if you're trying to figure out the married filing status confusion.

If you need to talk to the IRS about any of this (especially about dependent claiming rules), good luck getting through their phone lines. After trying for WEEKS to talk to someone about a similar situation, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 20 minutes! Check out their demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I had so many questions about how the custody arrangement affects claiming dependents now that I'm married, and needed official clarification. Claimyr saved me days of frustration and hold music. They basically wait on hold for you and call you when an agent picks up. Absolute game changer especially during tax season when wait times are insane.

I need to eat some serious crow here. After my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I figured I'd try to prove it was BS and signed up. To my absolute shock, I got connected to an IRS representative in 17 minutes after spending 2+ hours on hold myself earlier that same day. The agent confirmed that with my similar blended family situation, filing jointly was actually better AND cleared up confusion about who could claim which kids based on our custody agreement. Saved me over $2,100 in taxes by getting the right information. I've never been happier to be wrong about something. If you need actual IRS guidance on your specific marriage/dependent situation, this service is 100% worth it.

Don't forget to update your name with Social Security Administration if you changed your name after marriage! This is super important because your tax return name must match your SSA records. Learned this the hard way when my refund was delayed for 3 months because of a name mismatch. Also, update your address with USPS and IRS if you moved in together at a new place. The IRS form is 8822 for address changes. Being proactive about these updates saved me a lot of headaches later!

Just FYI - my wife and I have a similar situation with kids from previous relationships. We found that TurboTax actually did a pretty good job walking us through both scenarios (joint vs separate) and showing which was better. Their free version doesn't do this comparison well, but if you're willing to pay for the Deluxe version, it was worth it for us. Saved about $1800 filing jointly vs separately.

Congratulations on your marriage! I went through something very similar when I got married two years ago. Here's what I learned: Definitely update your W-4 with your employer ASAP - there's no official deadline, but the sooner the better. You've likely been overwithholding since June if you're still marked as single, especially with your husband working part-time. For your blended family situation, married filing jointly will almost certainly be better. The standard deduction is higher ($27,700 for 2023 vs $13,850 each filing separately), and you'll have access to credits that phase out quickly when married filing separately. One thing to keep in mind with your custody arrangement - make sure you and your ex coordinate who's claiming which child for 2023 taxes. The IRS gets really picky about this, and having it documented helps avoid any issues. I'd also recommend running the numbers both ways using tax software before filing. Most people in your situation (one full-time, one part-time income with dependents) benefit significantly from joint filing. You might be surprised by how much you save! Don't forget to update your address with the IRS too if you moved in together. Form 8822 is quick and easy to file.

Congratulations on your marriage! You're definitely not alone in forgetting to update things after getting married - it happens to the best of us! Yes, you should absolutely update your W-4 with your employer's HR department. Since you got married in June, you've likely been having taxes withheld as if you were single for the past several months, which could mean you're overwithholding (especially with your husband working part-time). There's no strict deadline, but the sooner you update it, the better your withholding will align with your actual tax situation. For your filing strategy, married filing jointly is usually more beneficial for couples in your situation. With one spouse working full-time and the other part-time, joint filing often results in a lower overall tax rate. Plus, you'll get a higher standard deduction ($27,700 for 2023 if filing jointly vs. $13,850 each if filing separately) and access to credits that might be limited when married filing separately. With your blended family setup, just make sure you coordinate with your ex about who's claiming which child for 2023 taxes. It sounds like you already have a good system in place with the alternating years. I'd recommend documenting this arrangement (even just via text/email) to avoid any confusion. Consider running the numbers both ways using tax software before you file - most couples in similar situations save significantly by filing jointly, but it's always worth double-checking with your specific numbers!