No, your spouse is not your dependent. You do not “claim” a spouse as a dependent. By filing as “Married Filing Jointly” you will each get the $4050 personal exemptions and the standard deduction of $12,700 for a married couple.
You can file a joint return even if one of the spouses had little or no income. When you enter your own information in My Info, you have to answer the question "Were you married?" If you click the button for Married, then a drop down will appear that asks, "Do you want to file this return together with your spouse?" Then you choose yes to file a joint return. You would then enter your spouse's information into Personal Info. Whenever you are entering income information there should then be a spot for you and for your spouse's income information.
When you prepare a joint return you include all the information for both spouses on the SAME tax return. Include all of your personal information, all of your income from every source, all dependents (if any), all credits and deductions for both of you. You get ONE refund with both names on it.
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
