Filing for 2012 Tax Without Spouse Social Secuirty Number

[h45549 18]

I got married in 2012 and my wife is still abroad, so she does not have a social security number, but it seems like I need this number to file my 2012 taxes. What do I do?

[Saylin 1,605]

I got married in 2012 and my wife is still abroad, so she does not have a social security number, but it seems like I need this number to file my 2012 taxes. What do I do?

She can apply for an ITIN. Read up on form W7 on IRS's site.

[Hypnos 6,576]

You can:

(1) File as "Married Filing Separately" - no further evidence would be required.

(2) File as "Married Filing Jointly" and attach an application for an ITIN for your wife to the return. You will need to file by mail this first time, but would be able to do so electronically in subsequent years after the ITIN is issued.

[h45549 18]

You can:

(1) File as "Married Filing Separately" - no further evidence would be required.

(2) File as "Married Filing Jointly" and attach an application for an ITIN for your wife to the return. You will need to file by mail this first time, but would be able to do so electronically in subsequent years after the ITIN is issued.

Are you sure about option 1? I am doing "Married Filing Separately" through TurboTax and it's showing me missing spouse SS as an error.

[Saylin 1,605]

Are you sure about option 1? I am doing "Married Filing Separately" through TurboTax and it's showing me missing spouse SS as an error.

You'd need to file MFS by paper and in the SSN section write NRA (Non-Resident Spouse).

[Hypnos 6,576]

From what I was able to find elsewhere, you can file as "Married Filing Separately" and enter "NRA - No SSN / ITIN required" in the space for your spouse's SSN / ITIN. Whether this is something that tax software will let you manually enter I do not know.

"Married Filing Separately" will usually give a greater tax liability than "Married Filing Jointly", so joint filing is usually preferred for that reason.

You may want to speak to a tax professional (i.e. not H&R Block) about this.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Hypnos

[The Mean Lady 604]

fill out on turbotax.

choose to print/save

print out and write NRA for spouse ssn

mail in

for separate.

for joint, do same thing but attach w7 form and paperwork required for w7

[Roosha 51]

fill out on turbotax.

choose to print/save

print out and write NRA for spouse ssn

mail in

for separate.

for joint, do same thing but attach w7 form and paperwork required for w7

Yes, exactly Or, use taxact.com. I was pleasantly surprised when filling out my information (I filed married/separately) that there was an option that spouse is a non-resident alien and so it put that information where the spouse information is.