Generally, filing jointly provides the lowest total tax because it unlocks higher standard deductions and access to credits (like the EITC and education credits) that are often disallowed for separate filers.

However, filing separately may save you money or protect you in three specific scenarios:

• Income-Driven Student Loan Repayment: If one spouse has high federal student loan debt, filing separately can exclude the other spouse’s income from the monthly payment calculation, potentially saving thousands in loan payments (even if the tax bill is slightly higher).

• High Medical Expenses: If one spouse has significant medical bills (exceeding 7.5% of income) and lower income, filing separately might allow those deductions to be claimed, whereas combining incomes would disqualify them.

• Liability Protection: Filing separately separates your tax liability. This can protect your refund from being seized to pay your spouse's past-due debts (child support or back taxes) and protects you from audits on your spouse’s business activities.

Our Approach: We run a comparative analysis for every married client to determine the exact mathematical advantage of each filing status before finalizing your return.