Federal Income Tax Filing Statuses
SingleYou can file as single if you are not married or are divorced as long as you are not claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return.
Head of HouseholdYou can file as head of household if you are unmarried, divorced, have a qualifying child or dependent and paid more than half the costs of running the household where the child or dependent lived for at least half of the year.
Married Filing JointlyCouples married by December 31 have the option to file a joint tax return for that year.
Married Filing SeparatelyCouples married by December 31 have the option to file separate tax returns for that year.
Qualifying Widow(er)If you become widowed within the year, you can still file jointly or married filing separately. After that, you can file as a widow(er) for up to two years, as long as you don’t remarry and you have a dependent child.
Each of these filing statuses has its own tax brackets. The brackets are beginning and end points at which your income is taxed at a specific rate. Understanding how tax brackets work – and which bracket your income falls into – can be helpful in your overall personal finance rategy