96% of married couples file JOINT.... the laws are set to motivate that.
the issue is NOT how big a refund you get back, the issue is how much tax liability there is.....
look at Line 16 on the form 1040. That is the total TAX you owe. But for most married couples, this line will be higher if you add together your two individual returns (filing Married Filing - Separate), than if you filed together "joint"
The IRS "loves" when folks file married- separately... they get a lot more money that way (in most cases) 🙂
if you don't like giving the IRS an interest free loan, then i suspect you don't like giving them 'free money', which is what normally happens if you file married-separate.
as other suggested, set up your returns as if you were filing separate and then do it filing joint - watch what happens. Please report back to us and let us know how much you save by filing joint
