We are married but my husband is under 65 yrs old and is permanently disabled per the SSA. He does not recieve SS benefits due to my income being too high, so he has no income. I am the only one with an income and I take care of his medical needs. We also have a dependent child. How should I file? Married filing jointly or separately?
You'll need to sign in or create an account to connect with an expert.
File a joint return.
If you were legally married at the end of 2024 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 get the married filing jointly standard deduction of $29,200 (+ $1550 for each spouse 65 or older) for 2024. 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. Your limit for SALT (state and local taxes and sales tax) will be only $5000 per spouse. 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 since with online, you get one return per fee.
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately
https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states
The only way to know for sure is to prepare test returns both ways. However, it is extremely likely that you will pay less tax filing jointly, for the reasons mentioned. You are always allowed to file jointly with a spouse, as long as they agree, even if they don't work or are disabled.
Still have questions?
Make a postAsk questions and learn more about your taxes and finances.
christophercastellano19
New Member
chelsa85
New Member
taxman33
New Member
brad62
New Member
nlabh01
New Member
Did the information on this page answer your question?
You have clicked a link to a site outside of the TurboTax Community. By clicking "Continue", you will leave the Community and be taken to that site instead.