#638 Should You Put Your Spouse On Payroll

Main Street Business

Main Street Business
#638 Should You Put Your Spouse On Payroll
Sep 28, 2026
Mark J Kohler and Mat Sorensen

Set up a Free 15-Minute Client Advisor Call and get booked at my law firm KKOS Lawyers. With a Comprehensive Tax and Business Consult my attorneys can help you have a tactical plan to put your spouse on payroll when the time is right and get your business, assets and trust in order.

Mark breaks down when paying your spouse from the business creates real tax savings and when it just adds payroll taxes and paperwork. We walk through the classification rules, the S corporation math, and the two scenarios where spousal pay can unlock powerful benefits for your family.

• deciding whether a spouse is a co-owner, employee, board member, or subcontractor 
• understanding material participation and when wages are required 
• avoiding payroll done only to “manufacture” a deduction 
• why paying for Social Security credits is usually a bad move 
• using S corp W-2 wages to manage FICA and keep compensation reasonable 
• adding a spouse to payroll to increase 401k and Roth 401k contributions 
• using a spouse support-company setup and an HRA to deduct family medical expenses 
• doing the math before adding complexity, filings, and payroll cost 


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