Marriage usually brings excitement and happiness to someone’s life, but in certain states, it can also bring a tax penalty.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the marriage penalty on income tax for all but those Americans in the highest tax bracket on a federal level by doubling the single filer amount for joint filers. But investing research platform BestBrokers found 18 states that still carried a “marriage penalty” in 2025. Couples filing jointly in those states face higher taxes than if they filed as individuals because the tax income thresholds aren’t doubled from single filers.
Depending on which state Americans live in, getting married can cost couples upwards of $8,000 annually due to the penalty, BestBrokers said. In states with marriage penalties, households where both spouses earn similar incomes are the most affected, according to The College Investor education and money site.
Marriage penalties “illustrate how state-specific tax structures, progressive brackets, and deductions combine to create either a financial advantage or disadvantage for married couples, even at moderate incomes,” wrote Paul Hoffman, editor in chief at BestBrokers.
To determine the states where couples would pay the most for being married, BestBrokers assumed a standard deduction of $15,750 for married filing separately and $31,500 for filing jointly with both spouses earning $75,000 each. The difference indicates a marriage penalty if the couple pays more jointly than two individuals.
