Editing Openai/696652d3-1bb0-8005-a7e9-4edc55b4ffe3 (section)

===== What’s driving most of that? =====
# Bigger brackets + larger standard deduction under MFJ MFJ has wider brackets than HOH and a larger standard deduction ($32,200 MFJ vs $24,150 HOH for 2026). IRS<ref>{{cite web|title=IRS|url=https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf|publisher=irs.gov|access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref>
# Child Tax Credit (CTC) phaseout difference is material at your income
* CTC max: $2,200 per child for 2026 → $4,400 for 2 kids. IRS<ref>{{cite web|title=IRS|url=https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf|publisher=irs.gov|access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref>
* Phaseout starts: $200k for HOH/single vs $400k for MFJ, and is reduced by $50 per $1,000 over the threshold. Congress.gov<ref>{{cite web|title=Congress.gov|url=https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R41873|publisher=congress.gov|access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref>

At $230k–$260k, that phaseout alone commonly creates ~$1,500–$3,000/year of marriage benefit.
# Additional Medicare Tax (0.9%) threshold is higher when married Threshold is effectively $200k (single/HOH) vs $250k (MFJ). IRS<ref>{{cite web|title=IRS|url=https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8959.pdf|publisher=irs.gov|access-date=2026-01-14}}</ref> At your wage range, that’s typically another ~$270–$450/year benefit (assuming wages, not self-employment).