Should we file taxes jointly or separately after getting married in December?

I need some tax advice after getting married last December (2024). My wife and I are trying to figure out if we should file jointly or separately for our 2024 taxes. The main complication is that my wife received financial aid for her college tuition last year. She's been working full time and paying for her education out of pocket, so no student debt currently. When she called someone at FAFSA (I think?), they advised her to file separately. But I'm using this free tax filing website that's suggesting we should file jointly instead. I'm really confused about which option would be better for our situation. Combined, our annual income is around $110k. Does this income level make a difference in how we should file? Any advice would be super appreciated since this is our first time filing taxes as a married couple!

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18 comments

Sophia Carson

•8M

So the question of filing jointly vs separately is important especially with financial aid in the mix! When you file jointly, you usually get better tax rates and more deductions - but it can impact financial aid eligibility since both incomes are considered. If your wife received need-based financial aid for the 2024-2025 school year, filing jointly could affect her 2026-2027 aid package because your combined income would be higher than just her income alone. The FAFSA uses tax info from two years prior, which is why they might have suggested filing separately. However, filing separately often results in higher tax liability - you lose several tax benefits like education credits, student loan interest deductions, and usually pay more overall. You should compare both scenarios using your tax software to see the actual difference in tax amounts. With $110k combined income, you might be close to some phase-out limits for certain credits, so running the numbers both ways would give you the clearest picture of what's best for your specific situation.

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Sophia Carson

•8M

When filing separately, neither spouse can claim education credits like the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit - those are completely unavailable to MFS filers. The student loan interest deduction is also unavailable when filing separately. If the financial aid package is substantial enough, the loss of these tax benefits might be worth it. But typically the tax disadvantages of filing separately are significant. You'd need to calculate the potential aid difference versus the definite tax increase to make an informed decision.

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Brooklyn Foley

•8M

I just wanted to share my experience with this exact situation! After struggling with this same decision last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that specifically helped me compare filing statuses and see the impact on my financial aid. I uploaded my tax documents and it automatically showed the difference between filing jointly vs separately AND calculated the potential impact on future financial aid eligibility. It showed me that in my case, filing jointly saved us $3,200 in taxes while only potentially reducing aid by about $800 for the following year. Made the decision super clear! The best part was that it explained exactly how FAFSA's income calculations work with different filing statuses, which was so helpful since every case is different depending on income levels and aid types.

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Brooklyn Foley

•8M

For federal aid like FAFSA, it's extremely accurate because it uses the exact federal formulas. The tool also covers most state programs since many follow similar income-based assessments, but it specifically asks you which state programs you're enrolled in to apply the right rules. The aid impact calculation uses the published Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula that FAFSA uses, which is based on your adjusted gross income, assets, and household size. It's predictive rather than guaranteed, but it uses the same methodology that financial aid offices use, so it's fairly reliable for planning purposes. The big advantage is seeing your actual numbers side by side rather than just general advice.

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Jessica Suarez

•8M

Just wanted to follow up after trying taxr.ai from the earlier comment. It was seriously eye-opening! In our case (similar income to yours), filing separately would've saved about $700 in financial aid eligibility but cost us over $2,100 in lost tax benefits. The tool explained that because my wife's program was almost finished, we'd only face one more year of FAFSA consideration, so the short-term tax savings outweighed the aid impact. Plus it showed exactly which education credits we'd lose with separate filing. Definitely helped us make a confident decision instead of just guessing or taking the FAFSA rep's word for it. Every situation is different based on income, aid package, and how many years of school are left!

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Marcus Williams

•8M

Another option you might want to consider if you're struggling to reach the IRS about this is using Claimyr.com (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to an IRS agent to ask about married filing status with financial aid implications, and it was impossible. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying for over a week on my own. The agent walked me through exactly how different filing statuses would affect my tax credits with my wife's financial aid situation. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Honestly the peace of mind from talking to an actual IRS representative instead of just guessing was completely worth it, especially since this decision can have multi-year consequences for both taxes and financial aid.

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Marcus Williams

•8M

It's definitely not a scam! They use a system that continuously calls the IRS using their algorithm until they get through, then they connect you directly to the agent. You're actually talking to real IRS employees, not some third-party advisors. Yes, you can absolutely ask specific questions about your situation. Once connected, you're talking to the same IRS agents you'd reach if you called directly - tax professionals who can address specific scenarios including education credits and filing status questions. I specifically asked about the American Opportunity Credit eligibility when filing separately vs jointly with financial aid in the picture, and got a complete breakdown of how it would work in our situation.

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Lily Young

•8M

I have to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After being totally skeptical in my previous comment, I decided to try it because we were desperate for answers about our filing status with my husband's tuition situation. Got connected to an IRS agent in 12 minutes after trying for literally WEEKS on my own. The agent explained exactly how our financial aid would be affected by different filing statuses and ran the numbers both ways. Turns out in our case, filing separately actually WAS better because of some specific grants my husband receives that have strict income limits. I would have filed jointly based on the general advice and lost nearly $8,000 in grant eligibility to save about $1,100 in taxes. Bad trade! Sometimes general advice doesn't apply to specific situations.

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Wesley Hallow

•8M

I went through this exact situation when I got married in 2023! The thing nobody tells you is that the type of financial aid matters A LOT. If it's all loans, filing jointly usually makes more sense tax-wise. But if she's getting grants or need-based scholarships, filing separately might protect those. The income-driven repayment for federal loans also looks at tax filing status. Another thing to consider: if you file separately, you BOTH must either take the standard deduction or BOTH itemize. You can't mix and match. And if you live in a community property state, things get even more complicated because income splitting rules apply.

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Wesley Hallow

•8M

My wife had a combination of a federal Pell Grant and a state grant that was specifically for lower-income students returning to education. Both had income limits that would have been exceeded if we filed jointly. The state grant (in California) was particularly sensitive to income changes. If your wife has a state grant, that's a huge flag to investigate further because many state grants have strict income requirements that can disappear entirely once you cross a threshold - unlike federal aid which often gradually phases out. I'd recommend having her contact her school's financial aid office directly to ask how joint filing would impact her specific grants. They usually have better information than the general FAFSA helpline.

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