Please tell me why married/single have different tax rates?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I used this payroll calculator: http://www.payroll-taxes.com/calculators.htm

And it told me what I knew... as a single, more taxes are taken out of my paycheck than if I was married. Bullshit. I don't see how/why the IRS can differentiate betwixt the two.

― andy ---, Thursday, 19 January 2006 00:55 (twenty years ago)

kyle knows all the answers to this

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Thursday, 19 January 2006 00:59 (twenty years ago)

the government wants people (ahem: men and women) to get married and churn out babies.

― danielle the animal steel (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 19 January 2006 00:59 (twenty years ago)

I'm married and I got fucking SCREWED on my taxes last year, if that makes you feel better.

I mean really SCREWED. the word SCREWED was basically invented for my last year's tax situation. if the same thing happens again, I'm leaving.

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:02 (twenty years ago)

I charge that marriage is unconstitutional favoritism and should therefore be halted. Only non-binding 'partnerships' will be allowed.

― andy ---, Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:03 (twenty years ago)

Adam, if you don't want to get screwed, don't claim any allowances. Always put '0' in every box where they ask you that. More will come out of your paycheck but you'll be happier at tax time.

― andy --, Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:04 (twenty years ago)

being unmarried is antisocial

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:04 (twenty years ago)

Blissfully antisocial.

― andy --, Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:05 (twenty years ago)

Andy,I have been doing that ever since my last taxes. It SUCKS! have no money!

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:06 (twenty years ago)

you can move out of san francisco... that would drastically reduce the amount of taxes you pay.

― nein Socken (nein Socken), Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:11 (twenty years ago)

Which states have no personal income tax?

Seven states have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Two others, New Hampshire and Tennessee, tax only dividend and interest income.

― danielle the animal steel (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:13 (twenty years ago)

(from here)

― danielle the animal steel (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:13 (twenty years ago)

The city of Oakland sent me a $165 bill for 'unsecured property'.. How the fuck can they value my records and books and clothes? I threw it out unpaid, as I'm sure most Oaklanders did.

― andy --, Thursday, 19 January 2006 01:15 (twenty years ago)

Adam, if you don't want to get screwed, don't claim any allowances. Always put '0' in every box where they ask you that. More will come out of your paycheck but you'll be happier at tax time.

You can be married and do this and still get screwed. The safe thing to do is mark "single" and "0" and then you probably won't.

The deal with marking "married": because they withhold less doesn't mean that you will OWE less. marking "married" assumes that only one person is working and supporting the other one. If you're both working, then you have to do the "two earner two job" worksheet that is on your withholding papers, guesstimate how much money both of you are going to make THAT YEAR, do some fucking Wiccan calculations, then you get a dollar amount. This is the amount that you are going to be short every paycheck in your tax payments. You have to have that withheld as "extra withholding". You can do this one your checks or your spouses' or divvy it up between you. So we marked "married 0" and I had an extra $200 withheld from my check.

It is so confusing. When you spend a lot of time with it though it does make sense.

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 19 January 2006 02:26 (twenty years ago)

(and yes, that amount is for EVERY check, that is, I had to explicitly state that I wanted an extra $5200 withheld. If I hadn't done that, that's how much we'd wind up owing in taxes).
All of this is just for federal. California state has no useful tools to help you figure it out. Their advice to me: "oh, yeah, it's really bad, just go based off what you had to pay last year, and watch your withholdings, and make sure it's adding up."

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 19 January 2006 02:30 (twenty years ago)

California totally sucks for taxes. My permanent residence is in Washington state, but as a contractor I worked in California for 4 months two years ago. Which cost me half again my normal Federal tax rate for that year! Bastards! I got a bit of it back after filling out some 23 page esoteric I-don't-live-in-this-state form, but still.

A sweet deal is to live in Washington (no state income tax) close enough where you can shop in Oregon (no state sales tax). Except for cars and maybe boats, where the difference is made up when you license it.

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 19 January 2006 03:23 (twenty years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.