Is There Really a Tax on Being Single?

What we are actually going to talk about is really around the cost side of things, of whether, you know, you're single or have a partner, and everyone kind of goes through this season of life of, you know, leaving, you know, a home with your parents and, you know, financials there, and then you kind of move off and probably, maybe you move straight into partnership, or maybe you move into having to handle things from a single life, and it's a big difference.

And there is a big cost to it, and kind of a tax with it that, you know, sometimes has to do with April 15th, but other parts of it don't have to do with April 15th when we call it tax day.

Oftentimes you might hear it being called the single's tax, and it's really not being single, right? 'Cause honestly, being single sometimes is amazing, where-

[laughs]

... you're able to do whatever you want.

Being married is wonderful too, and, or being in a relationship is wonderful too, don't get me wrong, but it's about running a household on one income instead of two incomes, and today we're breaking down what it actually costs in some real numbers and, you know, what you can do to help in those scenarios.

And then next week we are actually going to flip it around a little bit and we're going to talk about what nobody warns you about when you do combine money with someone, because there's a lot, and I'm sure there's been some advice you've heard, but we're gonna go through a whole bunch of things, so make sure you are subscribed so you don't miss out.

But for today, let's start getting into a little bit of the tax code gap.

Yeah.

And don't let taxes scare you off, people.

I know.

I feel like people hear taxes and they immediately zone out.

Well, make it fun.

Exactly.

And then this is super important to know, and I will say the first time I filed taxes together with my husband right after we got married, it definitely was an adventure, but it is something that you learn, and it's important to know how the tax code can help or hurt you depending on your filing status.

Let's start with one of the most important things that most people don't know that's baked right into the tax code.

For 2026, the standard deduction is $16,100 if you're filing single, and $32,200 if you're married filing jointly, and per the Tax Foundation 2026 tax brackets, IRS 2026 inflation adjustments, just so you know.

And that's not a small gap.

Married couples get to shield exactly double the income before any of it gets taxed.

So let's break this down a little bit better.

A single person earning $100,000- And a married couple earning a combined $100,000, both of those households have the same total household income of $100,000.

But the married couple filing jointly ends up with more of that money protected because they're stacking two standard deductions and splitting across two sets of tax brackets, and the single person only gets one.

So this was something that I definitely had heard of before filing jointly with my husband, like, "Oh, you get the tax benefit," whatever, but I had never looked at specific numbers until actually having to do it, and it really is such a benefit.

Or if you're filing as a single person, you do end up having a lot less of your money shielded compared to a married couple who makes the same exact amount of money as you.

Yeah.