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Incolator/Taxes/Marriage Tax Bonus or Penalty Calculator

Marriage Tax Bonus or Penalty Calculator

See whether two incomes produce a simplified federal marriage bonus or penalty before credits, state tax, and special rules.

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2026 federal bracketsTwo incomesPlanning estimate

Your scenario

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Estimated federal difference
$0

Two hypothetical single returns$0
Married filing jointly$0
Separate effective rate0%
Joint effective rate0%

What this comparison means

This is a narrow 2026 federal regular-income-tax comparison. It subtracts the standard deduction and fills the official single or married-filing-jointly brackets. It does not model credits, itemized deductions, investment income, alternative minimum tax, state tax, community-property rules, or whether you are legally eligible for a filing status.

  • Two-single estimate: each income gets the $16,100 single standard deduction and single brackets.
  • Joint estimate: combined income gets the $32,200 joint standard deduction and joint brackets.
  • A positive difference is called a bonus here; a negative difference is called a penalty.

Source: IRS 2026 inflation adjustments. Planning estimate only, not tax or relationship advice.