<prompt> Human: I got married and got a new job in the same week. I filed single last year, and my W-4 was filed as Single until the new job. I started the new job June 10 and have filed my W-4 as Married, even taking an additional 82paycheck off the top to adjust for the rest of the year.My question is, do we have to file married? I was told that since we got married half way through the year, we dont have to this year, and it might be to our benefit to file single. I would assume that I would get most of the off the top back since I have been paying taxes as if I was a married person, and will file single. However, is filing single instead of married to my advantage? Would it be better to file married?Assistant: It is always better to file married-jointly. unless one has a lien and you wont get any refund back, etc.Human: I was told by a sister that when you are married you get screwed for taxes. I havent seen any evidence of it so far, so I was curious. Thanks for the response.  <response>: Theres a very narrow combination of incomes that get screwed see the wikipedia entry on marriage penalty.Either way, you have to file as married. You cant just claim youre not legally married when you are. Thats tax fraud. Your only choice is file joint or separate. 