Is my wife considered a dependent for tax purposes with her disability?

The short answer is no, you can't claim your wife as a dependent. Spouses are never considered dependents for tax purposes. However, you should definitely continue filing as Married Filing Jointly. This filing status generally provides the most beneficial tax treatment for married couples, especially in your situation where only one spouse has income. The standard deduction for Married Filing Jointly in 2025 is expected to be around $29,200, which is twice the single filer amount. Also, if your wife has significant medical expenses, filing jointly could help you claim the medical expense deduction if your total medical expenses exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. This could potentially provide more tax savings than attempting to claim her as a dependent (which isn't allowed anyway).

I was in a similar situation last year when my husband had to stop working due to health problems. I spent hours researching tax options and talking to different accountants until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was an absolute lifesaver for untangling our complicated tax situation. They analyzed our documents and identified several deductions related to my husband's medical expenses that I had no idea we qualified for. The system actually looks at your specific situation and explains exactly what applies to you, rather than generic advice. Their analysis showed how to properly document his medical-related expenses and maximize our deduction potential.

Coming back to report that I actually tried taxr.ai after posting my skeptical comment. I'm honestly pretty impressed. I uploaded our medical bills, previous tax returns, and a letter from my partner's doctor. The analysis found several deductions we missed last year, including travel expenses to medical appointments and some specialized equipment costs. It also clearly explained which expenses met the medical deduction threshold and which didn't, with specific references to tax code. Even identified a potential credit related to caregiver expenses that might apply to us. This is way more detailed than what our previous accountant provided. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with complex medical and disability tax situations.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - when your wife applies for disability, you might need to contact the IRS directly with questions about how disability payments affect your tax situation. I tried calling them for weeks last year when my mom started receiving disability and it was impossible to get through. I finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and it was like magic. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The IRS agent was able to answer all my specific questions about how disability payments would affect our tax situation, which gave me huge peace of mind.

I need to follow up on my previous comment because I actually ended up using Claimyr after all. I was desperate after waiting on hold with the IRS for 3+ hours and getting disconnected twice while trying to sort out how my wife's new disability payments were being reported. I was 100% sure this service wouldn't work, but figured I had nothing to lose. I'm still shocked that it actually did what they promised. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent cleared up my confusion about how disability income is taxed and sorted out a discrepancy between what we received and what was reported. Can't believe I'm saying this, but if you need to actually speak to someone at the IRS about disability-related tax questions, this service actually works. Would have saved me days of frustration if I'd used it sooner.

Just want to add that the timing of when your wife's disability gets approved could impact your tax situation too. My husband was approved for disability last year but got a lump sum payment that included benefits from the previous year when he initially applied. That created a weird situation where we had to decide whether to amend our previous year's return or claim it all on the current year. Ended up being better for us to claim it all in the year received, but your situation might be different depending on income brackets and other factors.

I see everyone giving great advice about the tax filing status, but something else to consider - make sure you're tracking ALL the medical expenses. When my wife became disabled, we missed out on thousands in deductions the first year because we didn't realize what all qualified. Don't just include the obvious doctor visits and prescriptions. Track mileage to medical appointments, home modifications, specialized equipment, even air purifiers if prescribed by a doctor. We installed a ramp and widened doorways which partially qualified as medical expenses!

One more thing that might help - if your wife qualifies for SSDI eventually, there's something called the "trial work period" that could affect your taxes. During this period (up to 9 months), she can attempt to work while still receiving disability benefits. Any income during this time would need to be reported on your joint return. Also, don't forget about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) if your household income falls within the qualifying range. Many people overlook this credit, but with only one working spouse and medical expenses, you might qualify for a significant refund. The income limits are higher for married filing jointly, and having a disabled spouse doesn't disqualify you. I'd strongly recommend keeping a detailed spreadsheet of ALL medical-related expenses throughout the year - parking fees at hospitals, over-the-counter medications (if prescribed), medical alert systems, even special foods if medically necessary. These small expenses add up quickly and can push you over that 7.5% AGI threshold for itemizing.