Question about tax filing regarding marriage and dependents.

Question

I was wondering how I should file for taxes regarding my situation;

-I am a full time student and I am basically dependent on my parents to pay for my tuition/housing, so forth and basic everyday needs.

-However I will be getting married to someone in the military. We will not be living together for obvious reasons as i am attending college and he is in active duty about 12 hours away and will soon need to deploy again.

Can I file as a dependent to my parents? But then what about the dependency from the marriage even though i will not be dependent on his income?

Answer 1

No, once you get married you will no longer be a dependent of your parents.  You will most likely file a joint return with your spouse.  That's usually the best way.  Once you are married you MUST file either as Married Filing Separately or Married Filing Jointly.  You are not a dependent of either your parents or your husband in this case.  (The military refers to you as a "dependent" but that's military-speak, not tax-speak.)  It won't matter if your parents still pay your tuition and expenses, you'll no longer be their dependent.

Only in extremely unusual circumstances can a parent claim a married child as a dependent.  Your spouse's income will be high enough to keep you out of those special circumstances so I won't even bother to discuss them.

Answer 2

As others have pointed out, your parents can still claim you as a dependent, but ONLY if you and your husband do not file a married filing joint return.  If you and your hubby filed MFJ, you win as marriage trumps dependency.

Since your hubby will be deployed--and thus have less taxable income, you (meaning you and hubby and your mom and dad) should run your taxes both ways.

Scenario I.

You and hubby file MFJ.  Mom and Dad file MFJ without you.  

Scenario II.

You and hubby file MFS.  Mom and Dad file MFJ claiming your exemption.

Then compare the refunds for the two scenarios, keeping in mind that Mom and Dad don't have to share the money.  But if they are paying for most of your schooling and it would make a difference, filing MFS is worth doing.

Answer 3

If your husband files separately your parents can still claim you. Filing separately is the least desireable as you lose most deductions and pay a higher rate.

Answer 4

You can EITHER file a joint return with your husband, OR from the info in your question your parents can claim you.  Not both.  You get to choose.