Filing jointly with a dependant. As soon as I add my spouse's income we go from a return to a significant amount owed. My wife is a police officer and does not pay SS tax. Does that have an affect on this? It is the only thing that is different.

We both may roughly the same within $500. She actually pays more in federal taxes. As soon as I add her income we owe... a lot. It says she did not pay enough. How or what can I do to lessen this tax burden. Is she being penalized for not paying into Social Security as a public employee?