The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uses seven different tax brackets to determine how much you owe when married filing jointly or any other status. In the U.S., taxpayers are subject to a progressive tax system which means that as your income increases, so does your tax rate. Tax brackets determine which tax rate is assigned to each layer of income you have.
The IRS takes your filing status into account when establishing tax brackets, which is important for couples to know. What are the 2024 tax brackets for married filing jointly? Here’s what you need to know.
Key Points
• The 2024-2025 tax brackets for married couples filing jointly include seven rates: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%.
• The 10% tax rate applies to income up to $23,200, while income over $731,200 is assessed at the tax rate of 37% for married couples filing jointly.
• These rates apply to the amount of income that enters the higher bracket, so a couple making $23,201 in 2024 would pay 10% on $23,200, and 12% on the additional dollar of income.
• The seven tax rate categories have not changed between tax year 2024 and 2025, but the amount of income within the brackets has.
• Understanding tax brackets for married couples filing jointly is important to filing your taxes accurately and paying the appropriate amount.
2024 Tax Brackets
If you’re wondering what tax bracket you’re in, that’s a good question to ask, especially if you’re filing taxes for the first time or your filing status has changed because you’ve gotten married.
Married filing jointly 2024 tax brackets correspond to seven federal income tax rates: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. Income ranges used for 2024 tax brackets apply to returns filed in 2025.
What are the tax brackets for 2024 married filing jointly? The table below breaks it down.
2024 Tax Brackets
To find out what tax bracket you are in, check the following table. It illustrates 2024 federal tax brackets and tax rates, based on your filing status.
2024 Married Filing Jointly Tax Brackets
| Tax Rate | Single | Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er) | Married Filing Separately | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $11,600 | $0 to $23,200 | $0 to $11,600 | $0 to $16,550 |
| 12% | $11,601 to $47,150 | $23,201 to $94,300 | $11,601 to $47,150 | $16,550 to $63,100 |
| 22% | $47,151 to $100,525 | $94,301 to $201,050 | $47,151 to $100,525 | $63,100 to $100,500 |
| 24% | $100,526 to $191,950 | $201,051 to $383,900 | $100,526 to $191,950 | $100,500 to $191,950 |
| 32% | $191,951 to $243,725 | $383,901 to $487,450 | $191,951 to $243,725 | $191,950 to $243,700 |
| 35% | $243,726 to $609,350 | $487,451 to $731,200 | $243,726 to $365,600 | $243,700 to $609,350 |
| 37% | $609,351 or more | $731,201 or more | $365,601 or more | $609,351 or more |
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2025 Tax Brackets
While tax rates are the same for 2024 and 2025, the income ranges for each tax bracket are higher. Here’s a look at how 2025 tax brackets compare to 2024 tax brackets for married jointly filing and all other filing statuses. This information can be helpful as you track your finances.
2025 Tax Brackets
| Tax Rate | Single | Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er) | Married Filing Separately | Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $11,925 | $0 to $23,850 | $0 to $11,925 | $0 to $17,000 |
| 12% | $11,926 to $48,475 | $23,851 to $96,950 | $11,926 to $48,475 | $17,001 to $64,850 |
| 22% | $48,476 to $103,350 | $96,951 to $206,700 | $48,476 to $103,350 | $64,851 to $103,350 |
| 24% | $103,351 to $197,300 | $206,701 to $394,600 | $103,351 to $197,300 | $103,351 to $197,300 |
| 32% | $197,301 to $250,525 | $394,601 to $501,050 | $197,301 to $250,525 | $197,301 to $250,500 |
| 35% | $250,526 to $626,350 | $501,051 to $751,600 | $250,526 to $375,800 | $250,501 to $626,350 |
| 37% | $626,351 or more | $751,601 or more | $375,801 or more | $626,351 or more |
How Federal Tax Brackets and Tax Rates Work
In the U.S., the tax code operates on a progressive system that takes into account your income and filing status to determine how much tax you’ll owe. In a progressive system, the highest-income earners are subject to the highest tax rates. This is based on a concept called ability to pay, which reasons that if you earn more, you can afford to pay more in taxes.
Federal tax brackets assign a tax rate to individual income ranges. There are seven tax rates and seven corresponding income ranges. Tax rates, which run from 10% to 37%, are the same for the 2024 and 2025 tax years and apply to these individual income tax filing statuses:
• Single
• Married filing jointly
• Married filing separately
• Head of household
• Qualifying widow(er)
Tax rates may be the same from year to year, but income ranges can change. For instance, the tax brackets for 2023 married jointly filing are different from the tax brackets for 2024 married jointly.
If you look at the income ranges, you’ll see that they’re largely the same for most filing statuses. The exception is married couples filing jointly. Couples have higher income ranges since it’s assumed that both parties earn income.
Curious about what are the tax brackets for 2024 married filing jointly at the state level? It depends on where you live and file state income taxes.
Forty-three states and the District of Columbia assess an income tax. Fourteen states use a flat tax rate that applies to all income levels, while the remaining 27 use graduated tax rates assigned to different tax brackets.
Keep in mind that there are different types of taxes. Tax brackets and tax rates for individuals are not the same as tax rates for corporations.
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What Is a Marginal Tax Rate?
A marginal tax rate is the tax rate you pay on the highest dollar of taxable income you have. Your marginal tax rate doesn’t apply to all your income; just to the last dollar earned.
For example, say that you take a new job with a higher salary and move from the 22% to the 24% marginal tax rate. That doesn’t mean that your entire salary is now taxed at the 24% rate. Only the amount that goes over the income threshold into the 24% bracket would be assessed at that rate.
Marginal tax rates apply to all your taxable income for the year. Taxable income is any income you receive that isn’t legally exempt from tax, including:
• Wages (pay that’s typically based on the hours worked)
• Salaries (pay that’s typically a fixed amount that’s paid regularly)
• Tips
• Business income
• Royalties
• Fringe benefits
• Self-employment earnings
• Side hustle or gig work earnings
• Interest on savings accounts
• Profits from the sale of virtual currencies
You’ll also pay taxes on investment property if you own a rental unit. It’s important to accurately report to the IRS all income you and your spouse have for the year to avoid issues.
Underreporting and misrepresenting income are some of the biggest tax filing mistakes people make.
What Is an Effective Tax Rate?
Your effective tax rate is your average tax rate based on how your income is taxed in different brackets. It’s common for your effective tax rate to be lower than your marginal tax rate.
If you and your spouse file jointly with $250,000 in income (meaning you each earn more than the average salary in the U.S.), your marginal tax rate would be 24%. But your effective tax rate would be 14.58%. That assumes that you claim the standard deduction.
Standard deductions are amounts you can subtract from your taxable income. The standard deduction amount for married filing jointly in 2024 is $29,200.
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How to Reduce Taxes Owed
Reducing your tax liability as a couple starts with understanding what kind of tax breaks you might qualify for. It can also involve some strategizing regarding your income.
• Claim credits. Tax credits reduce your taxes owed on a dollar-for-dollar basis. So if you owe $500 in taxes you could use a $500 tax credit to reduce that to $0. Some of the most common tax credits for couples include the Child Tax Credit (CTC), the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and the Retirement Savers’ Credit.
• Consider itemizing. Couples can claim the standard deduction, but you might itemize if you have significant deductible expenses. Some of the expenses you might deduct include mortgage interest if you own a home, student loan interest, and charitable contributions.
• Open a spousal IRA. Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) let you save money for retirement on a tax-advantaged basis. Contributions to traditional IRAs are tax-deductible for most people. If you’re married but only one of you works, you could open a spousal IRA and make deductible contributions to it on behalf of your nonworking spouse.
• Contribute to other retirement accounts. If you both work, you can still fund traditional IRAs for a tax deduction, or sock money into your 401(k) plans at work. Contributions to a 401(k) can reduce your taxable income for the year, which could help you owe less in taxes.
• Check your withholding. Your withholding is the amount of money you tell your employer to hold back for taxes. Getting a refund can feel like a nice windfall, but that just means you’ve loaned the government your money for a year interest-free. You can adjust your withholding to pay the right amount of tax instead.
You may also defer year-end bonuses or other compensation until the beginning of the new year so you have less taxable income to report. As you start preparing for tax season, consider talking to a financial advisor or tax pro about the best strategies to minimize your taxes owed.
The Takeaway
Knowing how tax brackets work (and which one you’re in as a married couple filing jointly) can help you get your tax return completed accurately with fewer headaches. It also helps to keep a record of your deductible expenses throughout the year if you plan to itemize when you file. That’s something a money tracker can help with.
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FAQ
What is the standard deduction for married filing jointly in 2024?
The standard deduction for married couples filing jointly is $29,200 for the 2024 tax year. That amount increases to $30,000 for the 2025 tax year.
What are the federal tax brackets for married couples?
The federal tax brackets for married couples filing joint returns assign seven tax rates ranging from 10% to 37%. For tax year 2024, the lowest tax rate applies to the first $23,200 in income while the highest tax rate applies to income above $731,200.
Will tax refunds be bigger for 2024?
As of March 2025, the average tax refund for the 2024 tax year was 32% lower. Taxpayers collected a refund of $2,169 on average, compared to $3,207 for the previous year.
What is the tax offset for 2024?
Tax offsets occur when the federal government holds back part or all of your tax refund to satisfy a delinquent debt. Tax offsets can happen if you owe federal income taxes or federal student loan debts.
How will tax brackets change for 2024?
The 2024 tax brackets are subject to the same tax rates that applied in 2023 and will apply in 2025; the difference is the range of incomes subject to each tax rate. The IRS periodically adjusts tax brackets as well as standard deduction limits to account for inflation.
At what age is social security no longer taxed?
There is no minimum or maximum age at which Social Security benefits cannot be taxed. Whether you must pay tax on Social Security benefits depends on whether you have other taxable income to report for the year.
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