Should I file my taxes as Married, filing jointly and claim my sons for the first time?

So I've been thinking about switching up how I file taxes this year. My wife and I have always filed our taxes separately since we got married 6 years ago. We have two boys (7 and 4) and my wife has always claimed them on her taxes since she works part time and I work full time. But this year my income dropped quite a bit (around $58,000 compared to $79,000 last year) because I switched careers, while her income stayed about the same at $24,000. I'm wondering if it makes more sense for us to file jointly this year and both claim the boys? We've never done this before so I'm unsure about the tax implications or if we'd end up saving money. I've heard married filing jointly usually has better tax brackets, but I don't know how the child tax credits would work if we switch. Anyone have experience with switching from separate to joint filing with kids in the picture? Thanks!

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19 comments

CosmicCrusader

•8M

Filing jointly is often beneficial for most married couples, and in your situation with the income change, it's definitely worth considering! When you file jointly, you'll generally have access to more favorable tax brackets and higher thresholds for certain deductions and credits. For the child tax credit specifically, the full amount is available for joint filers with income up to $400,000, whereas for married filing separately it starts phasing out at $200,000 each. The standard deduction for married filing jointly in 2025 is also higher than twice the amount for filing separately, which typically results in less taxable income overall. Plus, filing jointly gives you access to certain credits that aren't available to those filing separately, like education credits if either of you or your children have qualifying education expenses. Given your described situation with the income change, filing jointly would likely result in a lower overall tax liability, especially since you can both benefit from claiming the children instead of just your wife.

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CosmicCrusader

•8M

There's no need to notify the IRS before switching to married filing jointly - you simply select that filing status on your tax return for the year you wish to make the change. The IRS doesn't require any special notification or paperwork for changing between separate and joint filing from one year to the next. As for potential downsides, joint filing means both spouses are legally responsible for the entire tax return, including any taxes, interest, or penalties that might arise later. Some couples prefer separate filing if one spouse has significant tax issues, questionable deductions, or if there are concerns about potential audits affecting both parties.

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Yuki Yamamoto

•8M

I was in a similar situation last year trying to figure out the best filing status with kids. I ended up using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was super helpful for comparing both options. You upload your tax documents, and it analyzes everything to tell you which filing status saves you more money. It showed me that filing jointly was going to save us about $3,800 compared to filing separately - way more than I expected! The system explained how the child tax credits worked better for us filing jointly and showed exactly how our tax brackets changed. It was like having a tax advisor but without the hefty fee. The comparison feature really helped me understand why joint filing made more sense in our case.

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Yuki Yamamoto

•8M

It definitely gives you a clear comparison between filing statuses showing exactly how much you'd save or lose with each option. It breaks down each credit and deduction difference between filing jointly vs separately, not just organizing documents. I could see that claiming the kids on a joint return gave us both the child tax credit and better tax brackets. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents permanently after analysis. I was hesitant at first too, but their security info convinced me it was safe. They explain that they use the same security protocols as major financial institutions, which gave me peace of mind. Once the analysis is complete, you can delete everything if you want.

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Andre Rousseau

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the previous commenter mentioned. I decided to give it a shot since my husband and I were in a similar situation with our 3 kids and always filed separately. The comparison it showed was eye-opening! For our situation, filing jointly would save us about $2,750 this year. I never realized how much the married filing jointly brackets would benefit us with our income levels. It also showed exactly how the child tax credits would work better for us when filing jointly. The analysis took like 10 minutes and the breakdown was really clear - showed side-by-side numbers for both options. Definitely helped us make our decision for this tax season!

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Zoe Papadakis

•8M

I see people talking about comparing filing options, but honestly the WORST part of this whole process is trying to get answers from the IRS when you have questions. Last year I tried calling the IRS with questions about changing filing status and claiming my kids for the first time, and I spent DAYS trying to get through. Finally found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually got me through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. They have this demo video at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c that shows how it works. Basically they hold your place in line and call you when an agent is ready. The IRS agent I talked to confirmed that switching from separate to joint filing is pretty straightforward and gave me specific advice about our kid situation. Saved me so much frustration compared to my previous attempts!

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Zoe Papadakis

•8M

It works by using a system that continuously redials and navigates the IRS phone tree for you. It's not magic - they're basically doing the frustrating part for you by holding your spot in line. When they finally get through to a human, they connect you immediately. They don't skip the line, they just handle the waiting game so you don't have to sit with a phone to your ear for hours. They're not just charging to wait on hold themselves - that would be a scam for sure. Their system handles thousands of calls simultaneously and uses technology to navigate the phone tree efficiently. I was skeptical too until I tried it. I was able to make lunch and help my kids with homework instead of being stuck listening to that awful hold music for hours.

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AstroAdventurer

•8M

I have to eat my words and apologize to @18. After my skeptical comment about Claimyr, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my filing status question, so I decided to try it anyway. Honestly, it worked exactly as described. I got a call back in about 35 minutes and was connected to an actual IRS representative. The agent answered all my questions about switching from separate to joint filing and how it would affect my child tax credits. I've literally spent HOURS in previous years trying to get through on my own, getting disconnected or being told to call back later. So yeah, I was wrong and it's definitely not a scam. Sorry for doubting!

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Mei Liu

•8M

My wife and I were in the exact same boat last year! We always filed separately because we thought it was better somehow. When we switched to filing jointly, we saved almost $3,200! The child tax credit alone made a huge difference. One thing to remember: if either of you have been contributing to traditional IRAs, check if your new combined income affects the deductibility limits. That was the only hiccup we ran into. And don't stress about the actual filing process - there's nothing special you need to do when switching. Just select "married filing jointly" instead of "married filing separately" and include both your information. Super simple!

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Mei Liu

•8M

Our refund actually came slightly faster when we filed jointly compared to previous years filing separately. We e-filed in early February and had our refund within 14 days, which was about a week faster than our experience with separate returns. I think what matters more for processing time is how early you file and whether your return has any complicated elements that might trigger extra review. In our case, a straightforward joint return with W-2 income and child tax credits was processed very efficiently.

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