Question about claiming my wife as a dependant on my tax return?

Question

Hi,
I got married in 2005.
I got a tax refund based on only 1 exemption for 2005(myself).
Later,I found out that I could have claimed my wife as another dependant(She is not employed) and gotten more money back.
So my question is can I claim last years exemption with this year's tax return or is it too late.

Thank you in advance

Srini

Answer 1

You cannot claim an additional exemption this year because you forgot to claim it last year.

You can get the benefit of the exemption by filing an amended return - Form 1040X

But don't put it off, there is a limit to the time you can file an amended return.

Answer 2

You're confusing forms with your terminology. The 1040 (Income Tax return) has nothing to do with exemptions. You are thinking of a W-4 where you tell the government how many exemptions you are claiming so that they can determine how much tax to take out of your paycheck. On your 1040, you claim dependents. You can never claim your spouse as a dependent, regardless of whether or not they work. If you are considered married on December 31st, you are considered married for the entire year (regardless if you were married in January, June, December, whatever), you have only 2 filing choices: married filing jointly (better choice 98% of the time) and married filing separately (better choice 2% of the time). So, if you filed married filing jointly for 2005, you're all set...there is nothing more you can do. If you didn't for some reason, you should file a 1040-X (amendment) for 2005 and change your filing status. You have 3 years to file a 1040-X from the date you initially file for that tax year.

Answer 3

You can never claim a spouse as a dependent. But if you file a joint return, you get an exemption for each of you, which turns out to be the same financially. You can file jointly even though only one of you has income. There's no way to take last year's exemption on this year's taxes.

As to last year, you can amend your return, if you filed as married filing separately, to be a joint return and you'll get the extra exemption plus the benefit of lower tax rates.

Answer 4

Your wife is not your dependent, the two of you file jointly, claiming 2 dependents. Your income, and any deductible expenses are combined, you are considered as one taxpayer.
You need to file an amended return for 2005, you will get additional money back for this year. Then you file 2006, including all of your income and deductions.

Answer 5

the only way that she would be able to declare the new child is that if the custodial determine supplies her a executed variety 8332 that she attaches to her tax return. That gets her the exemption and the new child Tax credit purely. No EIC, no HoH submitting status, and so on. without that variety, she filed a fraudulent return. If she claimed the EIC, which might often clarify certainly one of those extensive refund, that alter into additionally fraudulent and the possibilities are surprisingly solid that she would be able to be caught by using the IRS and might pay it returned. whilst that happens, she'll be barred from claiming the EIC for no less than 2 years and probably as long as 10 years.

Answer 6

You need to file an amended return for 2005 on form 1040-X, which can be downloaded at www.irs.gov
You will get a check for the difference.

Answer 7

No you cannot claim her twice for 2006. But it is not late to amend 2005 - just file a Form 1040X.