Can I claim myself and my husband as dependents along with my child?

Question

We are married filing jointly, but he claim no one at work, and I am starting a new job. Don't know how many I should claim.

Answer 1

look on the form that comes with your W2...it will give you step by step instruction on how many to claim...the less you claim the less you get in your check and the more you claim the more you will see in your check....

Answer 2

Filling out your W-4 (the form that allows you to claim dependents) has absolutely no bearing on what you claim for your 1040. The only reason for filling out this form is so your employer knows how much income tax to withhold on your check. The more dependents you claim, the more you get in your check (because they withhold less). Come April 15th, if you don't have enough paid in, you'll owe, if you have more then you need you'll get a refund.

I'd recommend doing a little tax planning now. How much will your husband make during the year? How much total income tax will he pay? How much will you make? What other income can you expect to have (dividends, interest, etc)? Then simply look up the tax schedule on the IRS website to find out an estimate of your total tax liability (after taking in account either the standard deduction or an estimate on your schedule A).

Now you take the total you'll owe, minus what your husband has already paid in, plus what you paid in your prior job, and the rest is what you have to pay. Make sure you have enough being withheld from your check to get to that amount, and you'll be fine. If that means claiming 0 dependents on your W-4, or if it means claiming 13, so be it. You can claim whatever you want.

I know this sounds complicated, but it's really not once you think about it and start doing it.

Answer 3

The number of dependants put on your W4 isn't very important.
You can actually change it when ever you want. What is important is what you declare on your income taxes. But, from your question I would say for each of you to put "married" with "2" dependants. You do that and you shouldn't have to pay taxes at the end of the year. That is if you both receive W2's.

Answer 4

You can claim up to 3 exemptions on your W4 form with your new employer. The more exemptions you claim, the less tax that will be withheld and thus greater take-home pay.

good luck on the new job

Answer 5

if you will be employed and your husband is not, he as well as the child can surely be termed dependents. When your husband will be earning, the child should naturally be his dependent but in your case, you may demand and/or plead for no change in the child's dependent status.