what are the drawbacks to married filing separately 
married filing separately is the ideal tax filing status if both spouses want to keep their tax liabilities separate but if you file separate returns you miss out on a number of tax credits and deductions that are meant for married couples such as the earned income tax credit and the american opportunity tax credit the bottom linechoosing your tax filing status may be easy if you re single or widowed but if you re married it may be a little more complicated that s because you can file jointly or separately if you file jointly you can take advantage of certain tax credits and deductions if on the other hand you don t want to be responsible for your spouse s taxes consider filing your returns separately 