Filing Status

What Is Filing Status?

Filing status is a category that defines the type of tax return form a taxpayer must use when filing his or her taxes. Filing status is closely tied to marital status.

Understanding Filing Status

The filing status is important because an individual's tax bracket (and, therefore, the amount they must pay) is determined by marital status, the number of children, occupation, and several other factors. You must file your status honestly, or it will be considered fraudulent and penalties will be assessed.

For federal income tax purposes, a taxpayer falls into one of five categories: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household, and qualifying widow(er) with dependent children.

Single Filer

A single filer is a taxpayer that is unmarried, divorced, a registered domestic partner, or legally separated according to state law as of the last day of the tax year. The head of a household or a person who is widowed does not fall under the "single" category for tax purposes. Single filers have lower income limits for most exemptions.

For Tax Years 2020 and 2021

Federal Income Tax Rate 

Income Range for Single Taxpayer for 2020

Income Range for Single Taxpayer for 2021

$0-$9,950

$9,876–$40,125 

$9,951-$40,525

$40,126–$85,525 

$40,525-$86,375

$85,526–$163,300 

$86,376-$164,925

$163,301–$207,350 

$164,926-$209,425

$207,351–$518,400 

$209,426-$523,600

Over $518,400 

Over $523,600

Standard Deduction

Married Person Filing Jointly or Surviving Spouse

An individual that is married by the end of the tax year can file his or her tax returns jointly with his or her spouse. When filing under married filing jointly status, couples can record their respective incomes, exemptions, and deductions on the same tax return. A joint tax return will often provide a bigger tax refund or a lower tax liability.

For Tax Years 2020 and 2021

Federal Income Tax Rate

Income Range for Taxpayer who is Married Filing Jointly in 2020

Income Range for Taxpayer who is Married Filing Jointly in 2021

$0–$19,750 

$0-$19,900

$19,751–$80,250 

$19,901-$81,050

$80,251–$171,050 

$81,051-$172,750

$171,051–$326,600 

$172,751-$329,850

$326,601–$414,700 

$329,851-$418,850

$414,701–$622,050 

$418,851-$628,300

Over $622,050 

Over $628,300

Standard Deduction

Married filing jointly is best if only one spouse has a significant income. If both spouses work and the income and itemized deductions are large and very unequal, it may be more advantageous to file separately.

Head of Household

A head of household is a single or unmarried taxpayer who pays at least 50% of the costs of supporting their household and lives with other qualifying family members for whom they provide support for more than half of the year.

This means that the taxpayer must have paid more than half of the total household bills, including rent or mortgage, utility bills, insurance, property taxes, groceries, repairs, and other common household expenses. Some examples of qualifying family members include a dependent child, grandchild, brother, sister, grandparent, or anyone else you can claim as an exemption.

A head of households benefits from a lower tax rate.

For Tax Years 2020 and 2021

Federal Income Tax Rate

Income Range for Taxpayer filing as the Head of Household for 2020

Income Range for Taxpayer filing as the Head of Household for 2021

$0–$14,100 

$0-$14,200

$14,101–$53,700 

$14,201-$54,200

$53,701–$85,500 

$54,201-$86,350

$85,501–$163,300 

$86,351-$164,900

$163,301–$207,350 

$164,901-$209,400

$207,351–$518,400 

$209,401-$523,600

Over $518,401 

Over $523,600

Standard Deduction

Qualifying Widow(er) With Dependent Child

During the year in which a spouse dies, the surviving spouse can typically use the joint filing status. For the two tax years following the year of a spouse's death, the surviving spouse can file as a qualifying widow or widower. While the surviving spouse cannot continue to claim an exemption for the deceased spouse, s/he may claim the standard deduction for a married couple filing jointly.

The tax bracket and income range for widow(ers) is the same as that for married filing jointly.