Can I claim my wife as a dependent on my tax return?

Actually, you can't claim your spouse as a dependent, regardless of their income. That's a common misconception. Once you're married, you have two filing options: Married Filing Jointly (MFJ) or Married Filing Separately (MFS). In your situation, filing jointly would almost certainly be more beneficial. When you file jointly, you combine your incomes, deductions, and credits. The standard deduction for MFJ in 2024 (for 2025 filing) is $29,200, which is higher than filing separately. Plus, many tax credits and deductions are reduced or eliminated if you file separately. Since your wife is a student with limited income, filing jointly will likely result in a larger refund or lower tax bill because her lower income will help reduce the overall tax rate on your combined income.

Hey there! I was in almost the same situation last year when my husband was finishing school and only making about $8k from his campus job. I was SO confused about the dependent thing too! I spent hours trying to figure it out until I found https://taxr.ai which seriously saved me. I uploaded our W-2s and marriage certificate, and it immediately told me that I couldn't claim him as a dependent (which I was trying to do!) but showed me exactly how filing jointly would save us about $1,800 compared to filing separately. It even showed me which deductions we qualified for as a newly married couple that I had no idea about!

Ok I need to eat my words here. I was the skeptical one from above but I decided to try https://taxr.ai because I was desperate after getting a CP2000 notice about unreported income from a side gig I did in 2023. I uploaded the notice and my old return and it immediately identified that I had missed reporting a 1099-K for $2,340 that I completely forgot about (from selling stuff online). The tool walked me through how to respond to the IRS, helped me prepare an amended return, and showed me that I actually qualified for some home office deductions that offset most of the additional tax. Definitely wasn't expecting it to be that helpful for dealing with IRS notices, but it saved me from panicking and probably making things worse!

For what it's worth, if you need to actually talk to the IRS about your filing status or any questions (which I recommend if you're newly married), use https://claimyr.com - I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS last year about a similar marriage/dependent situation. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. With Claimyr, they actually hold your place in line and call you when an IRS agent is about to pick up. You can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was about ready to hire a tax pro for $350 just to ask some basic questions, but I got through to the IRS in about 75 minutes (while I was doing other things) and confirmed exactly how to handle our situation. The agent was actually really helpful once I got through!

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To answer your original question more directly - if you file married filing jointly (which you probably should), you COMBINE your income and deductions, so the concept of claiming her as a dependent doesn't apply. Think of it this way - you're now treated as a single economic unit for tax purposes. Her student status might qualify you both for education credits like the American Opportunity Credit or Lifetime Learning Credit if she's eligible. Those can be worth more than trying to claim her as a dependent would have been anyway.

One more thing to consider - if either of you have student loans, filing jointly might affect income-based repayment plans since they'll look at your combined income. Something to think about if she's got loans and is on an IBR plan.

Just wanted to add something that might help with your decision-making process. Since you mentioned using TurboTax before, you'll find that most tax software (including TurboTax) will actually run calculations for both filing jointly and separately, then recommend whichever saves you more money. In your case, with your $58k income and her $9.2k income, filing jointly will almost certainly be better because: 1. You'll get the higher standard deduction ($29,200 vs $14,600 each if filing separately) 2. Your combined income will likely keep you in lower tax brackets overall 3. You'll have access to more credits and deductions that phase out for separate filers The "dependent" confusion is totally understandable - it's one of the most common misconceptions for newlyweds. The tax code treats marriage as creating a partnership, not a dependency relationship. You're both equal partners in the return, even if one person earns significantly more. Good luck with your first married filing! The software will walk you through everything step by step.