I got married in 2017 and also got a new job and changed my status to Married, but my wife who had the same job kept her status as single. What are the effects of this.

[DoninGA]

What you indicate on a form W-4 that you give to your employer for withholding taxes from your wages is not relevant to how you enter your filing status on a tax return.
If you are legally married and living with your spouse you can only file as Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately.

[WillK · Accepted solution]

I assume you are speaking about the w-4 and your state deductions. If this is correct, since your wife has not changed her withholding's from single to married, that means that the taxes that are being withheld from her pay is at a single rate not married rate (which is lower).

Depending on your tax situation, she might be having more taxes withheld than is necessary, which means if you file your tax return as married filing jointly, a refund could be possible. 

What is extremely important is how you file your 2017 tax return. You two need to either file as married filing jointly (MFJ) or married filing separately (MFS).

Your wife can always change her tax withholding's with her employer anytime. 

[macuser_22]

Wait and see what your tax looks like before changing anything.   Often married spouses that both work need to have more withholding then the married rate because each employer withholds based only on the amount of wages from that employer, but when you add both incomes together on a tax return, you end up in a higher tax bracket and find that you owe money and more tax should have been withheld.

[VolvoGirl]

ps......You can not transfer from or combine 2 returns or accounts.  Just pick the return for the spouse that has the most complicated return to enter or has any depreciation or business or  more investments.  Or use the account for whoever you want to be listed first going forward (by the way you can not change the order of the names).   Then add the other spouse's name, ssn and info to it.

You should usually  file a Joint return which is only 1 return combined for the both of you.  Make sure to stick with this one account for the future.  Just ignore the other spouse's account.

And info on Getting Married…..
http://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Family/Getting-Married/INF12006.html

Is it better to file Joint or Separately?
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...

[xmasbaby0]

If you were married at the end of 2017 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will each receive the $4050 personal exemption, plus the married filing jointly standard deduction of $12,700 (add $1250 for each spouse over the age of 65).  You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit. 

If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return. Some of the special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, adoption credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable.  In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be affected. If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. ( Community property states:  AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI) If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately