Openai/696652d3-1bb0-8005-a7e9-4edc55b4ffe3

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gpt-5-2-thinking

User: Question from stranger on the internet:

Question from stranger on the internet:

I make $230k -$260k/yr. Partner makes $50k/yr (when working). Is there tax benefit to getting married? 2 kids.

I own the home we live in in my name only. Currently partner is unemployed staying at home with kids.

Can you ballpark quantify how big the annual tax benefit of getting married is? Assume generic information for anything else.

Assistant: Below is a federal-only ballpark no state/local, using 2026 rules currently published by the IRS standard deduction + t…

Below is a federal-only ballpark (no state/local), using 2026 rules currently published by the IRS (standard deduction + tax rate tables) and assuming the high earner claims both kids.

Key assumptions (so the estimate is interpretable)

• You: W-2 wages of $230k–$260k; no major capital gains/side income.
• Partner: $0 right now (unemployed).
• Kids: 2 qualifying children under 17 with SSNs.
• Unmarried case: you can file Head of Household (HOH) (because you have qualifying children).
• Married case: you file Married Filing Jointly (MFJ).
• Take the standard deduction (not itemizing).
• Ignore most other credits/deductions.

These are the main published inputs I’m using: 2026 standard deductions and rate tables in IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 IRS, and CTC maximum + phaseout mechanics IRS.

Ballpark annual tax benefit of marrying (partner currently $0)

Estimated federal savings from MFJ vs HOH: about $9k–$14k per year.

Approximate breakdown (federal income tax + Additional Medicare Tax):

| Your wages | Est. HOH total | Est. MFJ total | Marriage benefit | | ---------- | -------------- | -------------- | ---------------- | | $230,000 | higher | lower | ~$9,300 | | $245,000 | higher | lower | ~$11,700 | | $260,000 | higher | lower | ~$13,700 |

What’s driving most of that?

1. Bigger brackets + larger standard deduction under MFJ MFJ has wider brackets than HOH and a larger standard deduction ($32,200 MFJ vs $24,150 HOH for 2026). IRS
2. Child Tax Credit (CTC) phaseout difference is material at your income

• CTC max: $2,200 per child for 2026 → $4,400 for 2 kids. IRS
• Phaseout starts: $200k for HOH/single vs $400k for MFJ, and is reduced by $50 per $1,000 over the threshold. Congress.gov

At $230k–$260k, that phaseout alone commonly creates ~$1,500–$3,000/year of marriage benefit.

1. Additional Medicare Tax (0.9%) threshold is higher when married Threshold is effectively $200k (single/HOH) vs $250k (MFJ). IRS At your wage range, that’s typically another ~$270–$450/year benefit (assuming wages, not self-employment).

Sensitivities (how this changes if “generic info” differs)

If partner goes back to work at ~$50k

With two incomes, you still often get a marriage bonus, but smaller: roughly ~$1k–$5k/year in this income range (because MFJ income rises, but you still keep the higher CTC phaseout threshold and get some bracket benefit).

If you cannot file HOH while unmarried

(Example: the kids are not your qualifying children for tax purposes.) Then the comparison becomes Single vs MFJ, and the marriage benefit can be much larger (often mid-teens $k annually at these incomes).

If you have meaningful investment income

NIIT (3.8%) starts at $200k single/HOH vs $250k MFJ. IRS If you have enough net investment income, marriage can save up to 3.8% × $50k = $1,900/year on top of the amounts above (that’s the cap from the threshold difference).

Itemizing vs standard deduction

Your “home is only in my name” detail usually doesn’t change the marriage math much by itself. It mainly matters if you itemize (mortgage interest, SALT cap, etc.). The CTC and bracket effects are still usually the dominant drivers here.

Bottom line

For the described fact pattern (high earner + nonworking partner + 2 kids), the federal tax marriage bonus is commonly around $10k–$14k per year right now, with the midpoint scenario (~$245k wages) landing around $11–$12k.

If you want, paste a minimal extra set of facts (state, approximate mortgage interest + property tax, and whether you have material dividends/cap gains), and I can tighten the range substantially.