Decoding The Tax Puzzle: Understanding Married Filing Separately

Are you wondering if filing separately might be the right choice for your tax situation?

In this episode, Mike Jesowshek discusses various aspects of 'married filing separately' tax status, explaining when this filing status could be advantageous. He primarily mentions scenarios such as a high medical expense situation for one spouse, significant student loan debt based on income for one spouse, or a tax lien on one spouse. Though in general, he believes 'married filing jointly' often provides better tax benefits. Mike also highlights the potential downsides to filing separately, such as higher tax rates and the loss of certain tax benefits.

00:00 - Married Filing Separately: When does it make sense?
04:13 - The Downsides of Married Filing Separately
06:29 - The Process of Filing Separately
09:10 - Recap and Final Thoughts


Quotes:

"When you file separately, you're separating yourself from that spouse. So the spouse that doesn't have the tax debt doesn't get their refund necessarily taken away." - Mike Jesowshek, CPA

"Income-based student loans would be based on your income... if you're looking to lower that amount, by filing separately, they're going to base that student loan payment on that separate return instead of a joint return." - Mike Jesowshek, CPA

"Most taxpayers we talk to are far better off filing jointly instead of separately. But there are some specific cases where separately makes more sense." - Mike Jesowshek, CPA

"When you file separately, it doesn't mean that you're having marital issues... We just want to look at what the tax benefit is." - Mike Jesowshek, CPA

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Podcast Host: Mike Jesowshek, CPA - Founder and Host of Small Business Tax Savings Podcast
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