Reduce your total tax bill by marrying.

When two people are planning to marry but have only one income, or one person has much more income than the other, they may reduce their total tax bill by marrying before year-end. On the other hand, a couple who fit this description and are planning to divorce may choose to delay doing so until after year-end to avoid increasing their tax bill. Marital status at the end of the year is marital status for the entire year for tax purposes.