Can i claim my wife and son on income taxes?

Question

I have been told by few people that i can claim my wife and son and get more back, last year i only claimed my son, but my wife does not work can i claim her.

i was told by my wifes friends that i can claim her also if she does not work is this true, or is it something i would have to ask H&R Block when i go in?

Answer 1

Of course you can claim her, she's a dependant.

Answer 2

I dont think one state is any different from the other. I have lived in quite a few different states.....they all work the same. As long as she has lived in your house more than 6 months out of the year. As long as you havent been seperated at the end of the year....meaning as of 12-31. Look into claiming the taxes on your house, car, personal property taxes, work related expenses, child care if any. Be sure to file head of household and claim 3 dependents. You can also ask them what can help you get more back on your return or how you should file to get more back. Most of the time they will be glad to figure it out for you. They seem to know the loop holes in the system. DONT FORGET EARNED INCOME CREDIT>>>IT HELPS. Also if you can afford it....claim single and withold an extra amount (like $5.00 a week extra). Then at the end of the year you know good and well they have held too much taxes so your sure of a good return. As far as what your wife's friend told you. Are you saying she said to claim your wife or your wife's friend???? I was kind confused on that issue. In order to claim your wife's friend she would have to be a very good friend and really be honest and truthful about letting you do that. Plus I think you would have to have proof you supported her also. Im not sure how you could get by with that one. Very possible these days though! Always try. Uncle sam screws you everyday. You only get one to get him on his back!

Answer 3

How do you file, married filing separately? If H&R Block is having you do that, unless there's some odd reason why you have to like she's not legally in the country, you're paying way more taxes than you should be. I'm assuming that she lives with you and you're not in the process of a divorce or something - that could change my answer.

If you're filing as married filing joint, then you are already getting the exemption for her. A spouse is never considered a dependent, but if you file joint, you get an exemption for each of you which taxwise is the same as a dependent. If you file married filing separately, then you would each claim yourself.

Look at last year's return and see what your filing status is listed as. One or the other should be checked.

By the way, if you are married, you are not allowed to file as head of household as a few responders suggest.

H&R Block isn't necessarily the best, but they're usually better than to miss something like this. I'm guessing that they had you as filing joint, so you are getting the exemption for her. Did she have to sign the form? If she did, you filed joint - if she didn't, then you didn't file joint, and something sounds real wrong here.

Answer 4

You can claim your wife whether she works or not. You can change your tax status to Married Filing Joint and enjoy the tax benefits thereof.

The caveat is you can claim her if nobody else does. She must not be a dependent on anybody else's return.

H&R Block should be able to confirm, even though when I was an IRS agent I had some encounters where their tax preparers were not trained well and were not very knowledgeable.

Answer 5

Ok, you can claim your wife as long as you file a joint return. Since she didn't work, there is no reason for her not to be on your tax return unless you are cheating on your taxes and she doesn't want to be liable.

BTW, when you go to H&R Block (or any other tax service for that matter), do not purchase any of their products except for the return preparation and electronic filing. DO NOT sign up for Rapid Refund or any similar program. The costs are to great. Besides, you should have your money in about 2 weeks after your file your tax return if you file electronically.

Answer 6

Where do you people come up with this stuff? Only a few have it right. The IRS clearly states that your spouse is NEVER your dependent, regardless if she works or not. And when you file you must use Married Filing Jointly or Married Filing Seperately. You cannot file as Head of Household.

You can get all this information at the IRS website :http://www.irs.gov

Answer 7

Your wife is never considered a dependent. If you file a joint return, you claim exemptions for both you and her. This is what most people actually mean by 'claiming' her. You also benefit from a larger standard deduction (unless you itemize) and lower taxes rates than filing separately.

Answer 8

If she has an social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), you can claim her.

This only gets murky for people with alien spouses who have no SSN or ITIN.

If she's a U.S. citizen with an SSN, no problem. She needs to file taxes jointly with you; she's not a dependent.

If you haven't been doing this, you can go back and amend your old returns and get additional money back from IRS.

Answer 9

Even if your wife works, as Head of Household, you can claim both her and your son, as long as she does not claim any deductions on her W-4 forms at her job.

Just make sure you and your wife are on the same page in order to minimize your tax payments.

Answer 10

Yep, in Canada you can claim your children and spouce, but just for your own peice of mind, I would call and ask H&R Block. Better to be certain that there is no reason why they would say that you could not, like if you have a high or supplemented income or anything like that.

Answer 11

You can claim your son and wife as long as they don't file taxes and claim themselves.