Assume you are the tax preparer for Brett. He and his fianc Becky come to you for advice. They are planning on getting married on Christmas Eve. Brett, ever mindful of finances, wants to know if there will be a tax effect by getting married on December 24 or if they should wait and get married on January 2 of the New Year. Assume they have no other dependents and cannot be claimed as a dependent by any other taxpayers. Their W-2 income for the year will be $76,000 for Brett and $88,000 for Becky and both would use the standard deduction.

Compute the taxable income for the taxpayers, both as single and married filing joint.

What advice would you give them? Evaluate the tax aspects of each wedding date. (Feel free to be creative.)