In your "Should You and Your Spouse File Taxes Jointly or Separately" article you have the following statement, in support of filing a joint return:
"Separate tax returns may give you a higher tax with a higher tax rate. The standard deduction for separate filers is far lower than that offered to joint filers. In 2018, married filing separately taxpayers only receive a standard deduction of $12,000 compared to the $24,000 offered to those who filed jointly."
In the context of standard deduction, you either can claim $12K deductions each (total of $24K) if you are filing separately or you can claim $24K in total if you file jointly. Essentially the two people would be getting the same deduction in total. Or am I missing something? How is standard deduction for "separate filers is far lower than that offered to joint filers"?
