What should Joseph and Megan use as their filing status if they were married on October 8, 2011?

Joseph and Megan should use "Married Filing Jointly" as their filing status because they were married on October 8, 2011, and are entitled to file their taxes based on their marital status for the entire year. The IRS allows married couples to choose between filing jointly or separately, but filing jointly typically offers more tax benefits, including higher income thresholds for tax brackets and eligibility for various tax credits.

In this scenario, choosing "Married Filing Jointly" not only allows Joseph and Megan to combine their income and deductions, which can often result in a lower overall tax liability, but it also facilitates qualifying for certain tax credits and deductions that might not be available if they filed separately. Since they were married only a few months before the end of the tax year, they can still take advantage of the benefits of joint filing for the year 2011.