My husband has been a full-time stay at home dad and full-time college student this year. Can I claim him as a dependant when I file my taxes in January? If so, how would this change my refund? I claim married and two (two kids) and usually get a pretty decent refund. Would claiming him (if allowed) change that at all?
2007-11-26 01:30:27 · 3 answers · asked by brevejunkie 7 in Business & Finance ➔ Taxes ➔ United States
You never claim a spouse as a dependent. You file as married, either jointly or separately. In your case, Married Filing Jointly will result in the lowest tax for you. You can always file a joint return, even if only one of you has income.
2007-11-26 01:36:24 · answer #1 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You never claim a spouse as a dependent. But you can file a joint return, which gives you an exemption for each of you, plus a standard deduction for each of you. If you have any tax liability, that would decrease your tax by an amount equal to up to $8750 times your tax bracket.
Filing a joint return just requires you to be married, it doesn't require that both people have income.
You aren't eligible for a child care credit f watching for time he spent watching the kids. But his tuition and fees would be eligible expenses for an education credit if you have tax liability.
If you make under about $40,000 a year, look for a VITA site to get your taxes done - it's an IRS program where trained volunteers will do your tax at no charge. Most sites will efile your return, so you'll get your refund faster than filing by mail. To find a site, see irs.gov when it's time to file, and key "VITA" into the search box, or look for info in your local newspaper. Sites are only open during the tax season, so the info on where the sites are isn't out there yet, but there will probably be one near you.
2007-11-26 02:29:11 · answer #2 · answered by Judy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When you file a joint return with your husband, you will automatically get an exemption for him. You don't claim him as a dependent. And if you have child care expenses, you can calculate the credit as if he had income during the time he was a full time student. There are also credits for school tuition costs. You might want to consider having a professional help you with your taxes, as there might be a number of things you're missing. And if you haven't been filing with your husband on the return in past years, you should have thoses returns looked over also.
2007-11-26 02:25:40 · answer #3 · answered by Knightly 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋