topic Can I claim my husband as a dependent if we file jointly? He’s on SSDI and has no taxable income. in Get your taxes done using TurboTax

Can I claim my husband as a dependent if we file jointly? He’s on SSDI and has no taxable income.

bbsm2012 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:46:10 GMT

Marital status: Generally, a married dependent can’t file a joint tax return with a spouse. The only exception is when the married dependent files a joint return only to get a refund for taxes paid. If both spouses filed separate returns, neither the dependent nor spouse would have a tax liability.
I copied this from the Turbo Tax

What you copied does not apply to the spouse of a taxpaye...

Hal_Al — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:46:11 GMT

What you copied does not apply to the spouse of a taxpayer (you in this case) it applies to a dependent, other than your spouse. For example, you cannot claim your adult daughter, if she files a joint return with her spouse (unless the exception is met)

He is on the return once when you file jointly therefore...

ee-ea — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:46:13 GMT

He is on the return once when you file jointly therefore you can not double dip to have him in the return as a dependent

A spouse can never be claimed as a dependent. But by fili...

Hal_Al — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 15:46:16 GMT

A spouse can never be claimed as a dependent. But by filing as Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) you get the same benefits (and more) as having him as a dependent.
As a side note, SSDI (social security disability income) is potentially taxable, depending on how much other income the couple has. Filing as Married Filing Separately (MFS) is not a way to avoid that. Filing MFS makes SSDI taxable, at $0 income level