I am married with one child, but my wife did not earn any income in 2018. Should I still be choosing the "married file jointly" option?

posted

Yes. Married filing joint does not depend on both of you having income. In fact, when only one of you has income the tax benefits for filing a joint return are even greater: largest standard deduction, lowest tax brackets, and largest availability to other deductions and credits you might be able to claim. While it is still your choice to file either jointly or separately, there is little doubt that you will get a greater benefit filing jointly.

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