My wife started collecting ssi last year at 62 and I continued to work all year over 50,000. We filed jointly. Does my income affect how much tax we have to pay when filing? I read that we must claim her 6250 ssi and pay 85% or 1176 dollars back to the government. Is this correct? The IRS 1040a states we must claim her ssi and pay on it. Please reply. Thanks, George

Hi George,

Yes, it could. If you file a joint tax return then your income must be included when determining how much of your wife's Social Security benefits are taxable. At most, though, 85% of Social Security benefits may be taxed as income (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/taxes.html).

If you and your wife file separate tax returns then your earnings wouldn't be included on her tax return, but your wife would still likely have to pay income taxes on her Social Security benefits because there is no exempt income level when a married person files a separate return from their spouse.

Best, Jerry