Filed single tax return in 2013,2014. Filed Joint return in 2015 after getting married. Wife joined me in JAN 2016 and started working in August 2016. how w'd we file.

[engg-sunny]

1. 2013,2014 I filed the Single tax status Return,In October 2015 I got married and my Wife Got L2 visa. I filed the return as Married Jointly.

2. In January 2016 My wife joined me in USA. She started working on L2 in August 2016.

Please suggest the best way to file the tax return and number of allowances we can claim separately on our W4's. We don't have any Kids just she and me. Thanks in advance!

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

If your wife is now a US person them your choices are to file married filing jointly (one return listing your combined income and deductions), or married filing separately (two returns each listing one person's deductions and income).

In almost all cases, joint is better because many deductions and credits are reduced or disallowed when filing separately.  But the only way to know for sure is to test both ways.  If you file online, filing two returns means two separate online accounts and two separate fees unless you qualify for free filing.

The best way to get your allowances for your W-4s is to carefully fill out the worksheet on both sides of the W-4. This gives a total number of allowances that you divide between your two jobs.  You can also use this estimating tool. 

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-withholding-calculator

[engg-sunny]

Thanks for your reply