Tax Year Prior to 2020: Can i claim my wife as a dependent since she does not work

[maynardtim93]

Can i Claim my wife as a dependent since she does not work

[hotsan70riv]

what if we were separated and I supported her half the year can I still claim her. she wants to do her own return.

[DoninGA]

You do not claim a spouse as a dependent.  When you are married and living together, you can only file a tax return as either Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Separately.  You would want to file as MFJ even if one spouse has little or no income.  You receive the highest standard deduction of $12,400 and you each receive a personal exemption of $3,950.

[maynardtim93]

So, This means i will get money back for her not working?

[DoninGA]

This just means that at least the first $20,300 of your income will not be taxable.

[yog327]

Ok QUICK question "superUser" So im estimated to get back 400$ this year, but im MFJ AND SHE HASNT WORKED at all this year, PLUS CLAIMING MY 1 year old son..how much am I qualified to get back? A geustament..?

[yog327]

anybody know?

[xmasbaby0]

No one can give an educated guess about your refund--we cannot see your return, nor do we know your income, how much was withheld from your pay, what other deductions you have, if you qualify for earned income credit, etc.  What we can tell you is that filing a joint return is best--you will get the standard deduction of $12,600 for a married couple.  You will also get a $4000 exemption for each spouse + a $4000 exemption for your child--that lowers your taxable income by $12,000. So with your Standard Deduction of $12,600 and your exemptions, the first $24,600 of your income is "tax free."  The child tax credit will lower your tax liability by another $1000 or down to zero, whichever comes first.  You should enter everything and see how it all comes out.

[steve857]

So when I did my return and since my husband hasn't worked in the last 5 years, can I go back for the 3 years allowed and file an amended return? I don't remember seeing this option when I did turbotax

[carnleypat]

@steve857 You can amend but you will have to mail them in but the irs will be wondering why you didn't file mfj in the first place.

[aa-tax]

Wife is not working from last September 2018, I've 2 kids; What ways of filing tax return will be good or chances to get high return? Please suggest.

[xmasbaby0]

@aa-tax You should file a joint tax return.

If you were legally married at the end of 2018 your filing choices are married filing jointly or married filing separately.

Married Filing Jointly is usually better, even if one spouse had little or no income. When you file a joint return, you and your spouse will get the married filing jointly standard deduction of $24,000 (+$1300 for each spouse 65 or older)  You are eligible for more credits including education credits, earned income credit, child and dependent care credit, and a larger income limit to receive the child tax credit.

If you choose to file married filing separately, both spouses have to file the same way—either you both itemize or you both use standard deduction. Your tax rate will be higher than on a joint return. Some of the special rules for filing separately include: you cannot get earned income credit, education credits, adoption credits, or deductions for student loan interest. A higher percent of your Social Security benefits may be taxable. Your limit for SALT (state and local taxes and sales tax) will be only $5000 per spouse. In many cases you will not be able to take the child and dependent care credit. The amount you can contribute to a retirement account will be affected. If you live in a community property state, you will be required to provide additional information regarding your spouse’s income. ( Community property states:  AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI) If  you are using online TurboTax to prepare your returns, you will need to prepare two separate returns and pay twice.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-married-filing-jointly-vs-married-filing-separately

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1901162-married-filing-separately-in-community-property-states

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1894449-is-it-better-for-a-married-couple-to-file-jointly-or-separ...

[Sillymami]

May I know what’s the tax code of reducing the tax or claim or tell the tax department? My husband tried very hard to talk to the tax office but still no one willing to help, very weird.. and the company HR can’t help anything we don’t know what to do 

[DoninGA]

@Sillymami 

You really need to explain your situation.  What exactly are you trying to do and why?

[Carl]

I appears you're making a big deal out of nothing, thus leading to your confusion. This is totally unnecessary.

A married person can not be claimed as a dependent on any tax return. Period. End of story.

You will file a joint return. Just because only one of you worked doesn't matter. You still file a joint return for the greatest tax benefit. Keep it simple.