Hello Firecrackersgoboom!
Congratulations on getting married in 2022!
Since you are married as of 12/31/22, you will need to file either jointly or married filing separately with your spouse. In short, yes, if receiving a refund on a joint return, it can be used to pay toward a federal debt. However if you are expecting any refund to be used to pay pre-marriage debt for your spouse, then you can file what is called Injured spouse on your joint tax return. You would complete and file the IRS Form 8379 along with your joint tax return. The Injured spouse allocation will request the IRS to allocate the part of the refund that is due to the taxpayer that is not legally obligated to pay this past due amount to be refunded instead of used to pay this past due debt.
Here is a link on how to file Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation and what the requirements are -
ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/spouse-partner/file-form-8379-injured-spouse-allocation/L3KVDvR02_US_en_US.
