Claim parents as dependent with both receiving social security benefits

[pchan]

My parents are married and they live together.  They receive social security retirement benefits as their only income.  I support them > 50% and they are citizens.  Based on answers I've seen here, I think I can claim them both as my dependents.  

However, one question I'm unsure of, is that I read a qualified dependent relative cannot owe any tax if he or she were to have filed separately from his or her spouse.  If my father or mother would have filed as MFS, they will owe tax because of their social security benefits, hence making them ineligible as dependents.

Am I missing something here or did I misinterpret? I believe I can claim them but now I am questionable about claiming them.  Please help.

[KarenJ]

If your parents only income is social security benefits, they do not have a filing requirement.  Social security benefits do not count as income.  If they file a joint return, you cannot claim them as dependents.

You can claim your parents as dependents if you provide more than half of their support in 2018 and they had income of less than $4,150 (not counting social security) each.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/family/steps-to-claiming-an-elderly-parent-as-a-dependent/L34je...

https://blog.turbotax.intuit.com/tax-deductions-and-credits-2/family/can-you-claim-a-parent-as-a-dep...

[SennaPK]

@KarenJ- "If your parents only income is social security benefits, they do not have a filing requirement.  Social security benefits do not count as income.  If they file a joint return, you cannot claim them as dependents."

This is entirely the OP's question/dilemma, and mine as well. If the parents filed jointly, they would owe no tax liability because their entire income is Social Security benefits, and really there's no requirement to file at all.

But, as soon as you claim them as dependents, they cannot file jointly, and must file as MFS. Once you do that, all the sudden (a bunch of) that Social Security income becomes taxable, and each parent will then have tax liability.

The root of the question is: does claiming them as dependents change their status as non-filers if their entire income is Social Security benefits?