The amount withheld from each of your paychecks by your employer (to be forwarded to the Internal Revenue Ser🎃vice (IRS) for federal taxes owed on your earne𓆏d income) can differ depending on whether you file as single or married.

When you start a new job, you'll be asked to fill out IRS Form W-4, otherwise known as an Employee's Withholding Certificate. With the information you supply, your employer will calculate how much money to withhold.

The first section of the W-4 form asks whether you are "single or married filing separately," "married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er)," or "head of household." The box you check will determine the amount that is withheld from your pay as estimated taxes.

You want to get this right. Underpaying can get you stuck with a big bill at tax time. Overpaying means less money in your pocket until tax time.

Single Withholding

The three boxes on the W-4 form—single or married filing separately, married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), and head of household—correspond to the five 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:filing statuses that taxpayers can choose from when they complete their annual 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Form 1040 tax returns.

Single taxpayers have two main options. They can file as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:single filer or, if they are unmarried and support a qualifying person, they can file as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:head of household (HOH).

Those who have lost a spouse during the tax year indicate this by checking the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:qualifying widow(er) box.

Married Withholding

Married taxpayers can opt to file jointly on one tax return or separately on different returns—whichever is more advantageous in their situation.

All else being equal, married taxpayers who plan to file jointly will have a smaller percentage of their pay withheld than singles or people with other statuses.

In addition, in most cases, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:filing a joint tax return will result in a lower tax bill, since it allows for a number of tax breaks not available to other filers. In less common cases, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:filing separately is advantageous.

Standard Deductions and Tax Rates

Standard Deductions

For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the portion of income that is not subject to tax is $14,600 for the 2024 tax year. Married individuals filing jointly get double that deduction, with a standard deduction of $29,200. For the 2025 tax year, those figures are $15,000 and $30,000, respectively.

Tax Rates

Single filers are taxed at the lowest marginal tax rate of 10% on their first $11,600 in taxable income earned in the 2024 tax year. For tax year 2025, that amount is $11,925.

Married couples filing jointly are taxed at the 10% rate on their first $23,200 in taxable income earned in the 2024 tax year. For tax year 2025, that amount is $23,850.

At higher marginal tax brackets, married taxpayers filing jointly continue to benefit.

For reference, the tables below provide the federal tax rates and income brackets for all filing statuses for the tax years 2024 and 2025.

How Dependents Change Your Tax Withholding

The IRS substantially redesigned the W-4 form in 2008, when the personal exemption was eliminated. If you haven't filled out a W-4 since then, you will find it looks very different today.

Notably, the form no longer asks you to calculate (or guess at) your number of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:withholding allowances.

Instead, taxpayers whose income is under $400,000 (for married individuals filing jointly) or $200,000 (for other filing statuses) are instructed to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:m🌃ultiply their number of qualifying children under age 17 by $2,000 and any other dependents by $500 and enter those dollar figures on the form.

Using that information, plus your filing status, your employer will calculate 🍒how much to withhold from your pay.

Other Considerations

Bear in mind that if you have more money withheld from your paycheck than is necessary, you should get it back later as a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:tax refund. But if you have too little withheld, you'll face an unexpected tax bill at filing time and quite likely an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:underpayment penalty as well.

It's wise to fill out a new W-4 for your employer when your circumstances change, such as switching from "single" to "married” or vice versa. You'll avoid the headache of having too much or too little withheld from your paycheck.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the right 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:filing status is important to avoid underpaying or overpaying your taxes all year long. Make sure you examine which status applies to you befoꦐre checking the box and, if two of them apply, look into which one can save you more money.

Tax forms can be confusing, so if you find yourself stuck, don’t h𓆉esitate to ask your employer or a tax professional for help.

Correction—Feb. 7, 2025: This article was edited to clarify that you can't file your taxes as single if you're married, but you can use the option "married filing separately."