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2 weeks ago
Tax filing status impacts several key areas of your federal tax return: whether you are required to file, the size of your Standard Deduction, your tax rate, your eligibility for specific tax credits...
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Tax filing status impacts several key areas of your federal tax return: whether you are required to file, the size of your Standard Deduction, your tax rate, your eligibility for specific tax credits, and ultimately, the amount of tax you owe (or the refund you receive). Your status is typically based on whether you are considered married or unmarried as of December 31st of the tax year.
The IRS recognizes five statuses: Single, Married Filing Jointly (MFJ), Married Filing Separately (MFS), Head of Household (HoH), and Qualifying Surviving Spouse (QSS). If multiple statuses apply to your situation, TurboTax is designed to help you select the one that results in the biggest tax break. Status Highlights: What You Need to Know
Single: Unmarried, divorced, or legally separated taxpayers who don't qualify for Head of Household status file Single. For 2025, the Standard Deduction for Single is $15,750.
Head of Household (HoH): This status is available if you maintain more than half of the expenses of your home and claim a qualifying dependent. It provides a larger Standard Deduction and more favorable tax brackets compared to filing as Single. For 2025, the HoH Standard Deduction is $23,625.
Married Filing Jointly (MFJ): Generally considered the most favorable status for married couples, MFJ offers the largest Standard Deduction, which is $31,500 for 2025, and wider tax brackets, often leading to a lower tax bill.
Married Filing Separately (MFS): This is often referred to as a "penalty status" because it usually results in fewer tax benefits and higher overall tax compared to MFJ. MFS filers receive the same Standard Deduction as Single filers ($15,750 for 2025).
Qualifying Surviving Spouse (QSS): This status is available to taxpayers whose spouse died in one of the two prior tax years and who have a qualifying dependent, provided they have not remarried. QSS is beneficial, because it allows the taxpayer to use the generous Standard Deduction and favorable tax rates that apply to those filing MFJ.
New Senior Bonus Deduction for 2025: Does filing status matter?
Your filing status matters if you’re married and age 65 or older, by the end of the year. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) introduced a new bonus deduction for seniors, but if you are married, then you must use MFJ as your filing status to qualify. Additionally, the new senior bonus deduction is available if you take the Standard Deduction or itemize. It phases out once your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $150,000 for joint filers ($75,000 for Single).
Ready to ditch the confusion? Watch our quick video, "How Does My Filing Status Affect My Return?" to see how TurboTax will help guide you to pick the best filing status for your situation.
Additional Resources
The 5 Filing Statuses - Get it Right!
Married Filing Jointly vs Separately: How Should You and Your Spouse File Taxes?
Guide to Filing Taxes as Head of Household
Taxes 2025-2026: One Big Beautiful Bill Tax Law Changes and How That Impacts You
Need more help? Our TurboTax Community is here for you! Post your question in one of our dedicated tax forums.
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2 weeks ago
@Jamesalafata hate to state it, but your initial post wasn't a question either. :-). what is your question?
2 weeks ago
Not sure what you mean by "on my own accord." If you are self-employed there are ways to enter your business expenses on a Schedule C. If you are a W-2 employee, you cannot deduct work-related ex...
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Not sure what you mean by "on my own accord." If you are self-employed there are ways to enter your business expenses on a Schedule C. If you are a W-2 employee, you cannot deduct work-related expenses on a federal tax return.
W-2 employees cannot deduct job-related expenses on a federal return. Job-related expenses were eliminated as a federal deduction for W-2 employees by the tax laws that changed for 2018 and beyond. Your state tax laws might be different in AL, AR, CA, HI, MN, NY or PA.
If you are preparing a return for a state that lets you deduct job-related expenses, the information will flow from your federal return to the state return, so enter it in Federal>Deductions and Credits>Employment Expenses>Job-Related Expenses
2 weeks ago
Phone support is not provided with the Free Edition. If you are using a paid version of the software or if you purchased PLUS you can get phone support when customer support is there. Otherwise, po...
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Phone support is not provided with the Free Edition. If you are using a paid version of the software or if you purchased PLUS you can get phone support when customer support is there. Otherwise, post your question here and someone will try to help.
To call TurboTax customer support
https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/contact-turbotax/L2y9ZKpQB_US_en_US?uid=m5s9l2vh
2 weeks ago
If you are a business, you can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses. (There are several different ways of organizing the business and all of them can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses.)
...
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If you are a business, you can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses. (There are several different ways of organizing the business and all of them can deduct ordinary and necessary expenses.)
However, if you are doing this as a W-2 employee or a hobby, you can't deduct expenses.
2 weeks ago
Only if you are filing business 1099 self employment/independent contractor income on Schedule C. If you only get W2 employee income it is not deductible.
2 weeks ago
Sorry----the deadline has passed for getting stimulus checks which were issued for tax years 2020 and 2021. It is too late. There have been no other federal stimulus checks after 2021.
2 weeks ago
I bought about $10,000 tools from snap on and cornwell for automotive work on my own accord. I’m wondering if I can claim these tools to get money back?
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2 weeks ago
1 Cheer
No date yet---but 2025 online software comes out in early December, so probably then for 2025 Tax Caster.
2 weeks ago
No. It is 6,000 for each spouse over 65. The maximum deduction is $6,000 for each person 65. The phaseout is 6% of the amount by which MAGI exceeds $75,000 for single or $150,000 for married filin...
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No. It is 6,000 for each spouse over 65. The maximum deduction is $6,000 for each person 65. The phaseout is 6% of the amount by which MAGI exceeds $75,000 for single or $150,000 for married filing jointly (MFJ). The MAGI is normally the same as your AGI but with Foreign added back in. On a joint return the phaseout is calculated separately for each person, so the 6% phases out $6,000 for each person. This deduction is intended to provide tax relief for seniors and is in addition to the existing standard deduction. Expires December 31, 2028. Here's a spreadsheet I made......
2 weeks ago
Phone support is not provided with the Free Edition. If you are using a paid version of the software or if you purchased PLUS you can get phone support when customer support is there. Otherwise, po...
See more...
Phone support is not provided with the Free Edition. If you are using a paid version of the software or if you purchased PLUS you can get phone support when customer support is there. Otherwise, post your question here and someone will try to help.
To call TurboTax customer support
https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/contact-turbotax/L2y9ZKpQB_US_en_US?uid=m5s9l2vh
2 weeks ago
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2 weeks ago
For the 2025 tax year, a married couple filing jointly where both spouses are 65 or older may be able to claim a total deduction of up to $46,700, combining the regular standard deduction with two se...
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For the 2025 tax year, a married couple filing jointly where both spouses are 65 or older may be able to claim a total deduction of up to $46,700, combining the regular standard deduction with two separate senior deductions.
The deduction consists of three parts:
Regular Standard Deduction: $31,500 for married couples filing jointly.
Existing Additional Standard Deduction for Seniors: $1,600 per qualifying spouse. If both are 65 or older, this is an additional $3,200 in total ($1,600 x 2).
New Temporary Senior Deduction: A new deduction of up to $6,000 per eligible individual is available for tax years 2025-2028. If both spouses qualify, this is an additional $12,000 in total ($6,000 x 2).
Eligibility and Income Limits
To be eligible for these deductions:
A person is considered to be age 65 on the day before their 65th birthday, so you must turn 65 on or before December 31, 2025.
The new $6,000 senior deduction is subject to income limits. It begins to phase out if your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is over $150,000 for married couples filing jointly and is completely phased out at $250,000.
The existing additional standard deduction (the $1,600 per person amount) does not have an income limit and can be claimed regardless of income level.
The new $6,000 bonus deduction can be claimed even if you itemize deductions, unlike the existing additional standard deduction which is for those taking the standard deduction.
2 weeks ago
I have a question concerning bad debts write-offs. I had a small claims judgement for expenses incurred and not reimbursed against a corporation. I just found out that the claim will be non-collectib...
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I have a question concerning bad debts write-offs. I had a small claims judgement for expenses incurred and not reimbursed against a corporation. I just found out that the claim will be non-collectible as the corporation filed as closed a few months ago, and the owner has left the Country. The judgement was for costs of the suite and personal financial losses. Can this be claimed as a bad debt write-off?
2 weeks ago
1-800-446-8848
2 weeks ago
See this TurboTax support FAQ for contacting support - https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/account-management/turbotax-phone-number/L0Od33nMQ_US_en_US?uid=lfgviwbm
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
So, if im reading this correctly, it's $6000 for a 2 senior household and NOT $6000 each senior... is this correct?