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Glite Dictionary
joint return

joint return

3 5.6
A tax return that a married couple files together to report their combined income and deductions
  • noun
  • /dʒɔɪnt rɪˈtɜrn/
  • Formal
translation icon : declaración conjunta
  • The benefits of income splitting enjoyed by most married heterosexual couples via the joint return filing option are not generally available for same-sex partners on their federal returns.
  • file a joint return

Examples

  • There is a special exception to using a power of attorney for spouses in combat zones that permits the filing spouse to e-file a joint return with only a written statement setting forth that the other spouse is in a combat zone and is unable to sign.

    Blog text (5)

  • We didn't earn much, but after we saw how much withholding tax the IRS took out of our monthly paychecks, we calculated how much we would save if we filed a joint return: a whole three hundred forty-six dollars a year!

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Most married couples file joint income tax returns, even if only one of them has income, because typically joint returns result in lower taxes.

    Academic text (2006)

  • If A and B marry, A's exclusion of up to $250,000 would be available to them in filing a joint return.

    Academic text (1997)

  • If a joint return is made, "The tax shall be computed on the aggregate income and the liability with respect to the tax shall be joint and several."

    Academic text (2001)

  • Filing jointly does not always bring a lower tax bill, but most married couples do file joint returns, at least partly because it's easier and amounts to something of an informal reaffirmation of marriage vows.

    Academic text (2001)

  • An individual is liable for Additional Medicare Tax if the individual's wages, other compensation, or self-employment income (together with that of his or her spouse if filing a joint return) exceed the threshold amount for the individual's filing status:

    Blog text (18)

  • Currently, the base amount is $25,000 for unmarried individuals, $32,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return, and zero for a married taxpayer filing a separate return if the spouses do not live apart at all times during the taxable year.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Now, a taxpayer may exclude up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 for certain joint returns) realized on the sale or exchange of a residence, using an adjusted basis formula, as long as the taxpayer owned the property and used it as a principal residence for at least two years during the immediately preceding five years.

    Academic text (2004)

  • As a married couple, they decided to file a joint return to maximize their tax benefits.

Surface Forms

joint return singular
joint returns plural

Morphology

joint + return

The meaning 'a tax return filed by a married couple together' is directly and transparently built from 'joint' (involving two or more parties together) + 'return' (a formal tax document), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer a return filed jointly. This adjectival + noun composition is common in English and cross-linguistically parallel, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Joint return comes from the words joint (meaning 'together') and return (the tax form you send to the government). When a married couple puts their income on one return, they file together, so the phrase means 'a tax return filed by a married couple'.