what was your 2012 effective federal income tax rate?

[feh]

Just wondering what kind of range people see. Let's keep it simple - just indicate your filing status and your federal income tax liability divided by your adjusted gross income.

status: married, joint
rate: 12.3%

I imagine 2011's was higher, as we were able to itemize deductions for 2012.

[MonkeyMama]

status: married, joint
rate: 4.8%

Last year 4.0%

These were both by far the worst years we have had since having children (2003). Our taxes are going to creep up in 2013 with Obamacare limiting our medical deductions and with the substantially less mortgage interest we are paying with latest refi. We've gotten accustomed to paying *no income taxes of any note* since my spouse was laid off in 2002, thanks to child credits and lower tax brackets.

[disneysteve]

status: married, joint
rate: 4.8%

Last year 4.0%

These were both by far the worst years we have had since having children

Paying less than 5% tax was your worst year? What was your best year?

I don't have my tax form handy but I can answer this question later.

[creditcardfree]

Status: Married, Joint
Rate: 3.94%

[MonkeyMama]

Paying less than 5% tax was your worst year? What was your best year?

I don't have my tax form handy but I can answer this question later.

**Worst year since having kids, to be clear. We paid a fortune in income taxes last we both worked.

Best year? Government paid us. Child tax credit was refundable - probably also got a retirement savers credit. I was receiving tax-free disability income (maternity leave) at the time and so we fell into "welfare" in the eyes of the IRS. It is possible to have a negative tax rate on the lower income spectrum, with refundable credits (you get the credit refunded to you though maybe you paid no taxes in the first place).

[phantom]

status: married, joint
rate: 11.6%

[DRILLINDK]

Single
24.7%


I hate the government!

[riverwed070707]

Married, joint

2.23%
Truth is I have such little understanding of the tax system, I don't even know why our rate is so low. We aren't a low-income household (made almost $70k last year), we itemize obviously (school loans, mortgage, charity, etc, kid deduction and DH was a student which is where our biggest credits came from) but seems we still skate by lower than most folks. Not complaining but maybe I'm doing them wrong and need to read up lol.

[hehateme000]

single, HOH

0%

yea yuh

[kork13]

2012: Single, 6.05%
2011: Single, 5.53%

Comparing between this year and last, my AGI was within $500 of being identical (2012 slightly higher). Strangely, although my 2012 taxable income was about $2600 LOWER than last year, the total tax was $250 HIGHER. I'm not sure where the disconnect happened.... Must be something built into the tax tables somewhere.... curious.

In any case, I know I have no place to complain about 5-6% effective... My saving grace is and always has been the charitable contributions deduction, which this year cut my taxable income by almost 35%. I'll be very sad if that becomes one of the deductions to get the axe whenever Washington finally decides to fix the tax code.

[disneysteve]

Married filing joint

12.8%

[Slug]

Married, joint

11.36% My worst since I started tracking.

Historical rates

[boefixepa]

Married - Joint - 3 Children

2012 -2.65% - They paid us!!
2011 2.7% - Well at least we paid something last year.

I'll never completely understand this. But even before we had kids and I worked full time and together we made well over 100K it was still only 8.5%. Since then (that was 2008) we have paid very low single digits or negative. And just so you know we do NOT get the erned income credit...we make too much.

[mgkimsal]

wow - all these single digits - married filing jointly, we were at ~17% this year - ~30% last year. Not really sure how people are getting to such a low effective tax rate.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

married, joint
5.05% 2012
I think it was 8.2% last year, but don't care to look it up.