Hi,

I'm filing as "married filing jointly".
My wife doesn't have a job and did not earn anything for 2006.

Aside from checking the exception for my wife (Form 1040 line 6b) , can I add her in the list of dependents (line 6c) ?


Thank you very much.

Hi,

I'm filing as "married filing jointly".
My wife doesn't have a job and did not earn anything for 2006.

Aside from checking the exception for my wife (Form 1040 line 6b) , can I add her in the list of dependents (line 6c) ?


Thank you very much.
NO. By filing jointly you both receive an exemption in addition to the standard deduction or itemized whicheveris greater.

If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you CAN claim her as a dependent.

However, it is most likely much more advantageous to file jointly, because, by doing so, you DOUBLE your Standard Deduction from $5,150 to $10,300. Such a deal! :-)