What Is a Breadwinner?

A "breadwinner" is a colloquial term for the primary or sole income earner in a household. Breadwinners, by contributing the largest portion of household income, generally cover most household expenses and financially support their dependents.

Filing Taxes as Head of Household

For tax purposes, a breadwinner may file their taxes as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:head of household. The 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines a head of household as a single or unmarried taxpayer who pays at least 50% of the costs of supporting a household and provides support to other qualifying family members living together for more than half of the year.

The breadwinner pays half of the total 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:household bills, including rent or mortgage, utility bills, insurance, property taxes, groceries, and repairs. Qualifying family members include a dependent child, grandchild, brother, sister, grandparent, or others claimed as an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:exemption.

Heads of households benefit from a lower tax rate. In 2025, the 12% 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:tax bracket applies to single filers with an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:adjusted gross income (AGI) of between $11,926 and $48,475 for the tax year. Meanwhile, the 12% tax bracket for heads of households applies to AGI between $17,001 and $64,850.An individual who earns 𒁃$50,000 wil𝕴l pay 12% income tax as a head of household and 22% if filing as a single individual.

Married Filing Taxes Jointly or Separately

The tax law was designed to benefit married couples with one main breadwinner and one stay-at-home spouse. If one spouse isn’t working, the couple benefits when filing jointly. A married taxpayer who is the breadwinner of the household may choose to file taxes jointly with their spouse, rather than separately, to reduce their 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:tax liability.

A breadwinner may find that they are in a higher tax bracket if they file taxes separately—the higher the tax bracket, the higher the tax bill. In the table below, a breadwinner who earns $78,000 in 𒆙2024 and files jointly with a stay-at-home spouse will land in the 12% tax bracket. If the sam🎉e breadwinner chooses to file separately, the maximum tax rate applied to this income would be 22%.

There are times when 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:filing separately from a spouse makes the most sense, such as when one person has expensive costs related to deductions based on AGI. For instance, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:medical expenses can only be deducted if they exceed 7.5% of AGI. If a spouse has high medical bills, the joint income may be high enough that the breadwinner is unable to take advantage of that ded🌠uction. In such cases, filing separately might be appropriate.

The Bottom Line

The term "breadwinner" dates from 17th century Great Britain, and denotes the person who earns the largest share of income in a household. Breadwinners can benefit from their taxes by claiming head of household tax status if they are single or unmarried, pay at least 50% of the costs of supporting a household, and provide support to other qualifying family members living at the same residence.