Marriage Tax Calculator
See whether marrying raises (penalty) or lowers (bonus) your 2026 US federal tax compared with filing as two singles.
Change the values and press Calculate to work out your own figures.
Enter each spouse's income, retirement savings and dependents.
Show the working
- penalty = joint tax − (spouse 1 single + spouse 2 single)
How to use it
Enter each spouse's income, retirement savings and dependents.
Enter amounts without commas or with them; rates are percentages (5 for 5%). Negative amounts are allowed where a sign means money paid out.
Key facts
penalty (or bonus) = joint tax − (spouse 1's tax as single + spouse 2's tax as single)
Where penalties come from
The 37% bracket, Additional Medicare Tax and NIIT thresholds, the SALT cap and some credit phase-outs aren't doubled for joint returns, so high or very unequal incomes can pay more married.
Questions
Is there a marriage penalty in 2026?
Only at high incomes or with credits and thresholds that aren't doubled; most couples pay the same or less.
Formulas
penalty (or bonus) = joint tax − (spouse 1's tax as single + spouse 2's tax as single)
Sources
Limitations
- Results are estimates for planning, not offers or financial advice; lenders and banks may round, count days or time payments differently.
- Rates are nominal annual rates compounded as you choose; payments at a different frequency use the equivalent periodic rate.