Should the spouse quit working?

[taxea]

Does anyone have a quick easy way to determine whether it would be more beneficial to a couple if the spouse did quit working?

[Burke]

Too vague. Beneficial in what way? Income vs cost of working? Depends on individual circumstances and need for money, whether health benefits are involved, etc.

[oceanlovin'ea]

pro and con worksheet

Make a list of the expenses involved in wife working. This would include things like transportation costs, clothes, meals, child care, etc. For many working spouses, it is not just the cost of the lunch they eat out but if they eat supper out because they don't feel like cooking or pick up take out on the way home, Starbucks coffee on the way to work, and breaks. Clothing might be different depending on the kind of work the person does. If they work in an office and require more dress clothes or dressier clothes than they would ordinary wear. If they have children, they would have to consider the cost of day care plus food differences too.

Also consider the income tax bracket the added income puts them in. Do a tax return with just one income and see how it comes out. It might surprise them.

I have seen people with kids who have to pay $200 or more a week for day care and wife only brings home less than $300 a week. Is it worth it??

Linda, EA

[Nashville]

Not the Real Issue

I've been confronted with this a number of times. However, I've never believed taxes to be the real issue.

Husband wants wife to stay home, so he asks me if they are losing too much in taxes for wife to continue working.

Wife wants husband to get off disability and DO something, and he asks me if the tax burden would prevent him
from getting out of the house.

Wife wants to stay home, so she asks me if the babysitting expense, taxes, and auto expense would take everything
she makes.

This sort of thing.

I will state that with so many jobs paying minimum wage, then babysitting and commuting costs as well as wardrobe, etc.
that sometimes it just doesn't pay unless a job pays enough to cover all this. More and more jobs do not.

[taxea]

thanks for the replies. Oceanlovin...expecially helpful...mahalo

[Burke]

I've been confronted with this a number of times. However, I've never believed taxes to be the real issue.

Husband wants wife to stay home, so he asks me if they are losing too much in taxes for wife to continue working.

Wife wants husband to get off disability and DO something, and he asks me if the tax burden would prevent him
from getting out of the house.

Wife wants to stay home, so she asks me if the babysitting expense, taxes, and auto expense would take everything
she makes. This sort of thing..

I agree. There are often underlying reasons.

[Roberts]

All I know is, the spouse of my spouse needs to quit working.

[Burke]

Yes............