Married or Single for biggest tax break with 3 kids?

The "married vs. single" tax question is actually pretty common, especially with kids in the picture! Generally speaking, marriage could benefit you tax-wise in your situation, but let me break this down: With you being a stay-at-home parent and your boyfriend earning $95,000, filing jointly as a married couple would likely give you a higher standard deduction ($27,700 for 2023 married filing jointly vs. $13,850 for single filers). Plus, your boyfriend's income would be spread across the more favorable joint tax brackets instead of just the single brackets. The biggest advantage might be with the children. If you get married, your boyfriend could claim head of household now, but as a married couple filing jointly, you'd likely qualify for the full Child Tax Credit for all three children, potentially worth up to $2,000 per child. The home purchase might also provide more tax benefits filing jointly through mortgage interest and property tax deductions.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! After hitting roadblock after roadblock trying to figure out my best filing options with my partner and our kids, I stumbled across https://taxr.ai and it literally saved me hours of frustration. You can upload your tax documents or just describe your situation like you did here, and it analyzes everything to tell you exactly which filing status would save you the most money. For us, getting married in December ended up saving us almost $3,200 in taxes because of how it shifted our tax brackets and maximized our child tax credits. The system showed me side-by-side comparisons of both scenarios so I could actually see the difference. Definitely worth checking out before making your decision!

Just wanted to update - I tried the taxr.ai site after asking about it here. Honestly I was shocked at how detailed it was! We have a complicated situation with my small craft business and my partner's W-2 income, and it actually showed us that waiting until January to get married would save us about $2,100 in our specific case because of how my business losses would be treated. Would never have figured that out on my own. Definitely recommend trying it before making any decisions - took like 10 minutes and saved us thousands!

I went through this exact dilemma last year! After spending WEEKS trying to reach someone at the IRS to get a straight answer about marriage tax benefits with kids, I finally discovered https://claimyr.com and used their service to skip the ridiculous hold times. You can watch how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes who walked me through our specific situation. For us, getting married in December was actually better because my husband could claim the mortgage interest deduction plus we got better tax bracket treatment when combining our incomes. The agent was super helpful explaining exactly how the Child Tax Credit would work in both scenarios.

I can help with this! The marriage question is all about what's called the "marriage penalty" or "marriage bonus" in tax terms. In your specific situation with 3 kids and only one income, you'd likely benefit from filing as married. Here's why: When only one spouse works, marriage typically creates a tax BONUS. Your partner currently files as Head of Household (assuming they claim the kids), but married filing jointly would give you access to higher standard deduction and more favorable tax brackets as a couple. With the house purchase, there are additional benefits because mortgage interest and property tax deductions can be maximized when filing jointly. Plus, with your income level and three dependents, you'll likely qualify for better child tax credit amounts when married. The December timing works in your favor - if you're legally married by December 31st, the IRS considers you married for the entire year!

I need to eat my words here. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about a similar situation (deciding whether to file jointly with my new spouse or keep filing separately). I tried the Claimyr service as a last resort and... it actually worked. Got a call back in about 45 minutes and was connected to an IRS agent who explained exactly how the married filing jointly vs. separately would affect my tax brackets and credits. For what it's worth, in my case with 2 kids and a new house purchase, filing jointly saved us approximately $3,700. The agent explained that the mortgage interest deduction alone was much more valuable when combined with my spouse's income on a joint return. Can't believe I wasted so many hours on hold before finding this.

Just wanted to share my experience! I was in a similar situation and struggled with figuring out all the tax implications. I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that really helped me understand my specific situation better. I uploaded my info and they analyzed our tax situation showing side-by-side comparisons of filing scenarios. Really helped us make our decision with actual numbers instead of guessing!

Everyone keeps focusing on the tax bracket and child tax credit stuff, but don't forget about the potential marriage penalty if both of you work! My wife and I both make about $80k each, and we actually pay MORE in taxes being married than we would if we were single. But with one income and 3 kids, you're probably better off married because of how the standard deduction works. Also, if he already bought the house this year, getting married in December vs January shouldn't affect the mortgage interest deduction for THIS tax year since he already owns the home. It would only matter for next year's taxes.

Wait has anyone actually calculated this with real numbers? I'm seeing a lot of general advice but with $95k income, 3 kids, and a mortgage, the difference could be significant either way. Using 2023 numbers: - If boyfriend files as Head of Household with 3 kids: Standard deduction $20,800, potential child tax credit of $6,000 - As Married Filing Jointly: Standard deduction $27,700, same child tax credit Just on the standard deduction difference, that's $6,900 more that's not taxed, which at the 22% bracket is like $1,500 in tax savings right there. Then factor in how the tax brackets shift... guys I think December wedding might be the move here lol

I tried taxr.ai after reading about it here, and wow - it really helped clarify things! I was surprised to see how different the numbers were between filing statuses. In our case, getting married in December would save us about $3,200 in taxes compared to filing separately! The child tax credits and standard deduction changes made a bigger difference than I expected. Definitely recommend checking it out if you're on the fence about the tax implications of marriage.

If you're trying to reach the IRS to ask about this, good luck! I spent WEEKS trying to get someone on the phone. Then I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes. They have this system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical but desperate after being hung up on multiple times. The IRS agent I talked to walked me through exactly how marriage would affect my taxes with kids involved.

Okay I need to apologize to Profile 12 above. I was SUPER skeptical about Claimyr but I tried it today out of desperation and it actually worked! Got connected to an IRS agent in about 22 minutes after trying for literally months on my own. The agent confirmed that in our situation (similar to yours with kids and one income), filing jointly after marriage would save us about $2,800. She also explained how it affects child tax credits and standard deduction. Can't believe I wasted so much time trying to call them myself!

Just my 2 cents - my wife and I make similar money to your situation (one of us around 90k, other stay at home) with 2 kids, and we save close to $3k filing jointly vs when we simulated single/HOH. The standard deduction alone is huge, and the tax brackets are more favorable at your income level. Plus with the house purchase this year, you'll likely benefit from itemizing deductions which works better for joint filers in most cases.

Don't forget to consider other benefits beyond just taxes! If you're not working, being married gives you access to your spouse's social security benefits and potentially better health insurance options. Also retirement account options like a spousal IRA that you can contribute to even without income. These can be worth way more than just the immediate tax savings!

Based on your situation with 3 kids, one income of $95k, and a recent home purchase, getting married in December would very likely provide significant tax advantages! Here's why: The marriage bonus kicks in when there's a large income disparity between partners (like your situation with one working, one stay-at-home parent). You'd benefit from: 1. **Higher standard deduction**: $27,700 for married filing jointly vs. $20,800 for head of household 2. **Better tax bracket treatment**: Your $95k income gets spread across more favorable joint brackets 3. **Child Tax Credit optimization**: Up to $2,000 per child remains the same, but income thresholds are higher for joint filers 4. **Homeowner benefits**: Mortgage interest and property tax deductions often work better on joint returns The December timing is perfect - being married by Dec 31st means you're considered married for the entire tax year. With your income level and family situation, you're looking at potentially $2,000-$4,000 in tax savings by filing jointly versus your partner filing as head of household. Given the complexity though, I'd definitely recommend running the actual numbers with a tax professional or reliable tax software to confirm the exact savings in your specific situation!

This is such a timely question! I went through the exact same decision process last year with my partner and our 2 kids. Based on your situation - one income at $95k, stay-at-home parent, 3 kids, and a recent home purchase - getting married in December would almost certainly save you money on taxes. The key factors working in your favor are the higher standard deduction for married filing jointly ($27,700 vs $20,800 for head of household), better tax bracket treatment when there's only one income, and the fact that your income level won't trigger any phase-outs for child tax credits. The mortgage interest deduction will also likely be more beneficial on a joint return. We ended up saving about $2,800 by getting married before the end of the tax year in our similar situation. The December timing is perfect since the IRS considers you married for the entire year if you're married by December 31st. That said, everyone's situation is unique, so I'd definitely recommend getting the actual numbers run for your specific circumstances before making the final decision. But based on what you've shared, the tax math strongly favors getting married sooner rather than later!