When you are legally married and living together you have to file your tax return as either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately. In most case filing jointly will give you a better result then filing separately.
You can file jointly even if one spouse has little or no income. You will receive the highest Standard Deduction when filing jointly.
Standard deductions for 2024
Single - $14,600 add $1,850 if age 65 or older
Married Filing Separately - $14,600 add $1,550 if age 65 or older
Married Filing Jointly - $29,200 add $1,550 for each spouse age 65 or older
Head of Household - $21,900 add $1,950 if age 65 or older
