Married Filing Jointly or Separately as an American Filing Taxes Abroad?

Today we’re going to cover the popular US tax topic: Married Filing Jointly or Separately as an American Abroad.

A lot of Americans end up living abroad for one big reason: love. It could be falling for someone from another corner of the world and deciding to pack up, or maybe hitting it off online, flying over, and saying “I do.” While falling in love might happen out of the blue, sticking together and making a life of it? Well, that’s a choice you make.

But when tax season hits, and you’re a US expat married to a non-US Citizen Spouse. The common question is: what do you need to do?

Married Filing Separately as an American Abroad in 2025

Filing together with your spouse normally comes with better tax benefits. However, it can cause extra reporting stress for Americans with non-US partners. Let’s examine whether it makes sense to file Married Filing Separately instead…

If the following is true in your situation:

• You earn less than $126,500 (salaried or self-employed). Plus, you can exclude all of it via the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion benefit.
• You have less than $14,600 investment or US-sourced income that cannot be excluded through the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.
  • $14,600 is the total standard deduction allowed for Married Filing Separately in 2025
  • US-sourced income is detailed in more depth!

If it is all true for you, the next step is to file as Married Filing Separately as an American abroad or Head of Household (depends on if you have any dependents – children). Additionally – due to the expat benefit of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the deductions/exemptions, you will most likely owe no taxes and therefore, don’t require the extra benefits of Married Filing Jointly.

Keep in mind that because you’re married to a non-US partner, you can’t file as Single. If you choose not to register your spouse with the IRS, you must file as either Married Filing Separately or Head of Household.

MyExpatTaxes software, built specifically for US expats, helps determine the correct filing status and benefits. File your US tax return in as little as 30 minutes—stress-free and at an affordable fixed rate.

Get started for free, pick a plan when you’re ready. Or see the Pricing Page for all the details.