My wife's mom is filing her taxes and says her daughter was already claimed by a spouse. I filed separately.

[vomitingcat]

My wife and I decided to file separately so I did. She has lived with her mom this whole year and turned 18 in November and we got married in December 2016. Her mother is trying to file taxes and claim my wife as a dependent however it is denying her saying she has already been claimed.

[ChristinaS]

What about her dad?

[ChristinaS]

Turbo Tax doesn't have access to IRS records, so your wife will need to contact the IRS if she cannot determine who claimed her.

[ChristinaS]

Also, if you indicated that your wife had no income, you may have taken her exemption on a Married Filing Separate return. Check your 1040, line 42. If you see $8100 there, that means you claimed her exemption.

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

If you filed jointly, the mother can't claim her.  If you filed as married filing separately, but claimed your spouse's personal exemption (which you would have been allowed to do if she had income less than $4050) then that will also block the mother from e-filing.  Look at form 1040A, line 5 and 6.  Line 5 should have box 3 checked, and line 6 should NOT have box 6b checked.

If it is your intention that the mother should claim the exemption, the mother needs to print her return and mail it in.  Then you will need to file an amended return to make whatever correction is needed (such as, removing your spouse's personal exemption.)

General amending instructions are below.  The amended return must be printed and mailed, but don't start the amended return until your original return is processed and your refund is paid.

Amend https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3288565