UK AOS 2009 Thread

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I can walk you through TurboTax. H&R Block is clueless on international and immigration. They messed up a bunch of people last year. I used TurboTax Basic last year, the cheapest version around $24ish. I always buy and install it on the computer. I find it works better for me. It will do all you need. Last year was our first year married and first year in the US, so did the international thing using only Basic. This year we're just a regular couple with no immigration or foreign income to report.

This year I bought Deluxe because I donated a bunch of things to a Hospice Charity Shop and the Habitat for Humanity Resale shop and I wanted to use the "It's Deductible" software that's included. I normally can't itemize deductions. But this year buying the house, mortgage interest, closing points, and many thousands in medical bills has given me enough to finally itemize. So all the stuff I cleared out and gave away is going to be gravy on the top. The"It's Deductible" will list and price things out for you so I spent the extra money. I normally use Basic and it handles alot of stuff.

There is a free version online. I tried it last year and didn't like the way it worked so much. Can't remember why but it didn't seem to have the flexiblity I wanted to jump around and look at forms. I'll look at it again.

Anyway, I have done my own taxes every year since the old pencil and paper days...probably on an abacus before calculators...hahahaha. I really do understand them and super studied the immigration stuff last year in Publication 519 which deals with that. So I am available to help. You can PM me if you like.

Basically there's a few things you have to do different your first year with an immigrant....alien as the IRS calls them...to file jointly. It will be a big savings on taxes. The UK income is reported, but no tax is paid. Just reported. Then it gets excluded using Form 2555.

It goes kinda like this.

35,000 USC's salary

+25,000 UK spouse earned in UK (converted to US$)

60,000 total joint income for the couple filing jointly

-25,000 - the foreign income is excluded

35,000 Taxable income for the married couple

So you see it's a wash where the USCs income is all that is actually considered for taxes. And you're not really taxed on your whole salary because you get exemptions and standard deductions for each person, which reduces what you are actually taxed on.

You just have to know where to show the foreign income and maybe some help excluding on the 2555. It will be a big savings to do that. USC can't file single anymore if married in 2009. So his choice is married filing jointly (GOOD choice-lower taxes) or married filing separately (BAD choice because it normally makes his taxes even higher than last year as single.) And if using Turbo Tax installed on your computer, you can try it different ways to see the difference. You just save the file with a different name and jump back and forth between them.

Let me know if you need help from H&R Nich. LOL

[Lisa and Ian 7]

I can walk you through TurboTax. H&R Block is clueless on international and immigration. They messed up a bunch of people last year. I used TurboTax Basic last year, the cheapest version around $24ish. I always buy and install it on the computer. I find it works better for me. It will do all you need. Last year was our first year married and first year in the US, so did the international thing using only Basic. This year we're just a regular couple with no immigration or foreign income to report.

This year I bought Deluxe because I donated a bunch of things to a Hospice Charity Shop and the Habitat for Humanity Resale shop and I wanted to use the "It's Deductible" software that's included. I normally can't itemize deductions. But this year buying the house, mortgage interest, closing points, and many thousands in medical bills has given me enough to finally itemize. So all the stuff I cleared out and gave away is going to be gravy on the top. The"It's Deductible" will list and price things out for you so I spent the extra money. I normally use Basic and it handles alot of stuff.

There is a free version online. I tried it last year and didn't like the way it worked so much. Can't remember why but it didn't seem to have the flexiblity I wanted to jump around and look at forms. I'll look at it again.

Anyway, I have done my own taxes every year since the old pencil and paper days...probably on an abacus before calculators...hahahaha. I really do understand them and super studied the immigration stuff last year in Publication 519 which deals with that. So I am available to help. You can PM me if you like.

Basically there's a few things you have to do different your first year with an immigrant....alien as the IRS calls them...to file jointly. It will be a big savings on taxes. The UK income is reported, but no tax is paid. Just reported. Then it gets excluded using Form 2555.

It goes kinda like this.

35,000 USC's salary

+25,000 UK spouse earned in UK (converted to US$)

60,000 total joint income for the couple filing jointly

-25,000 - the foreign income is excluded

35,000 Taxable income for the married couple

So you see it's a wash where the USCs income is all that is actually considered for taxes. And you're not really taxed on your whole salary because you get exemptions and standard deductions for each person, which reduces what you are actually taxed on.

You just have to know where to show the foreign income and maybe some help excluding on the 2555. It will be a big savings to do that. USC can't file single anymore if married in 2009. So his choice is married filing jointly (GOOD choice-lower taxes) or married filing separately (BAD choice because it normally makes his taxes even higher than last year as single.) And if using Turbo Tax installed on your computer, you can try it different ways to see the difference. You just save the file with a different name and jump back and forth between them.

Let me know if you need help from H&R Nich. LOL

Thanks, Nich! I appreciate your help!

[Bob and Patricia 0]

I can walk you through TurboTax. H&R Block is clueless on international and immigration. They messed up a bunch of people last year. I used TurboTax Basic last year, the cheapest version around $24ish. I always buy and install it on the computer. I find it works better for me. It will do all you need. Last year was our first year married and first year in the US, so did the international thing using only Basic. This year we're just a regular couple with no immigration or foreign income to report.

Nich, you're a VJ treasure. (I keep repeating myself)

Bob

[MARM 7]

I don't know if I am supposed to be freaking out right now or hoping for good news before the end of this week:

My husband's RFE response was received at Lee's Summit, MO on Feb 03, 2010 at 3:59 PM according to USPS. But till today, Feb 10, 2010, I have not gotten a status update on the USCIS website nor the email/text messages I got the first time when the RFE was sent out. Should I give CSC a call? Wait it out for the rest of this week?

I so hate RFEs.

[Lisa and Ian 7]

I don't know if I am supposed to be freaking out right now or hoping for good news before the end of this week:

My husband's RFE response was received at Lee's Summit, MO on Feb 03, 2010 at 3:59 PM according to USPS. But till today, Feb 10, 2010, I have not gotten a status update on the USCIS website nor the email/text messages I got the first time when the RFE was sent out. Should I give CSC a call? Wait it out for the rest of this week?

I so hate RFEs.

I bet you have it by the end of next week, at the latest. Ours took around 7 days to be acknowledged. I'm sure the length of the response depends how busy they are.

[Nik+Heather 121]

I don't know if I am supposed to be freaking out right now or hoping for good news before the end of this week:

My husband's RFE response was received at Lee's Summit, MO on Feb 03, 2010 at 3:59 PM according to USPS. But till today, Feb 10, 2010, I have not gotten a status update on the USCIS website nor the email/text messages I got the first time when the RFE was sent out. Should I give CSC a call? Wait it out for the rest of this week?

I so hate RFEs.

There's a girl on the Dec. filers who sent theirs back around the same time as you mention, and just barely got the confirmation from USCIS.

[Gemmie 142]

I hope you hear something soon, Marm. Give it a few more days, I think.

I got back from the UK on Monday night... had a blast over there, seeing my family and friends, meeting my baby nephew, going to the places I know, having my independence back, but had this niggling feeling the entire time that I didn't belong anymore. It was pretty surreal. It felt like a great big visit where I didn't have my own space to go back to at the end of the day. I flew back to the US and my husband was waiting at the airport like old times, and I've never appreciated the hug more. It feels like closure.

I'm waiting on an interview from Meditech, which should be any time now, and if I get the job, we're hoping to sign the lease for the apartment within a few weeks (once I know the job is a good fit for me). I just can't wait to have our own life together.

Hope everyone is doing well.

ps - Entering with a GC was pretty weird, I thought they would stamp me in without question, but I was asked questions with a hint of caution, about why/when I went for a visit, and about my American husband. Guess they're tightening up on immigration, as I heard some people from the VWP comment on the questions.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Gemmie

[obbynox 0]

Hey everyone. I finally received my G.C earlier this week

THEN 2 days ago, got an email update saying my son's case has an RFE???? Arrrgh! we applied for his AOS in August last year along with mine, his case was transferred before christmas and now they tell me he has an RFE...what the bob? we have no idea what it could be about, i guess we'll have to wait and see....needless to say i am slightly miffed...lol

I hope everyones having a great week.

Selina.

[Nik+Heather 121]

I hope you hear something soon, Marm. Give it a few more days, I think.

I got back from the UK on Monday night... had a blast over there, seeing my family and friends, meeting my baby nephew, going to the places I know, having my independence back, but had this niggling feeling the entire time that I didn't belong anymore. It was pretty surreal. It felt like a great big visit where I didn't have my own space to go back to at the end of the day. I flew back to the US and my husband was waiting at the airport like old times, and I've never appreciated the hug more. It feels like closure.

I'm waiting on an interview from Meditech, which should be any time now, and if I get the job, we're hoping to sign the lease for the apartment within a few weeks (once I know the job is a good fit for me). I just can't wait to have our own life together.

Hope everyone is doing well.

ps - Entering with a GC was pretty weird, I thought they would stamp me in without question, but I was asked questions with a hint of caution, about why/when I went for a visit, and about my American husband. Guess they're tightening up on immigration, as I heard some people from the VWP comment on the questions.

Gemmie, you didn't tell us if your surprise was surprising! Sounds like things are looking good - glad to hear it.

Hey everyone. I finally received my G.C earlier this week

THEN 2 days ago, got an email update saying my son's case has an RFE???? Arrrgh! we applied for his AOS in August last year along with mine, his case was transferred before christmas and now they tell me he has an RFE...what the bob? we have no idea what it could be about, i guess we'll have to wait and see....needless to say i am slightly miffed...lol

I hope everyones having a great week.

Selina.

RFEs!!!!!

[Gemmie 142]

Selina, sorry to hear about your son's RFE... hopefully it's something tiny that you can fix quickly... OR it's a mistake on the website and he's been approved. I did enjoy hearing "what the bob" though, that's new for me.

The surprise was VERY surprising. I ended up having to fly overnight and then wait 8 hours on my best friend's sofa because she wasn't in town. Her boyfriend told her a big lie to get her to come home, and when she came in, she gasped... and stood with her hand covering her mouth for about a minute! Later, we surprised our other friend (who is like a sister to me)... my friend apologised for being late and said "this is why, I have something heavy" and dragged me over to her front door. She stumbled into the wall with her hand over her mouth, burst into tears and hugged me so tight, kept saying "my sister! Why aren't you in Boston?!"

Every now and then, they kept having to touch me and make sure that it wasn't a dream.

It was worth the travel and stress of trying to work around peoples schedules. I recommend it!

[MARM 7]

Sorry about the RFE obbynox, since you already have your GC, they are prob just waiting on your RFE response to issue the GC for your son.

Glad your trip went well Gemmie! I love surprises

Edited February 11, 2010 by MARM

[Nik+Heather 121]

Interview letter today in the mail. Nice long checklist of things to bring....with a lot of "Unless already Provided"s at the end. So.....Hope that means they already have the medical....We are very confident that the RFE is taken care of once and for all - or at least, we will be able to talk to a person live about it if not.

March 15, 11am!!

[Allie and Nigel 2]

Interview letter today in the mail. Nice long checklist of things to bring....with a lot of "Unless already Provided"s at the end. So.....Hope that means they already have the medical....We are very confident that the RFE is taken care of once and for all - or at least, we will be able to talk to a person live about it if not.

March 15, 11am!!

Interview???? Hmmm....Heather, we can do walk-in biometrics? Nigel's appointment is March 9th he wants to just walk in..I was positive they were sticky on the dates.....can we do walk in's????

[Nik+Heather 121]

Interview???? Hmmm....Heather, we can do walk-in biometrics? Nigel's appointment is March 9th he wants to just walk in..I was positive they were sticky on the dates.....can we do walk in's????

Not sure about the Tucson office, but I really haven't read about anyone getting much trouble from doing a walk in anywhere. Some offices have days specified for walk ins, but they would probably tell you when you go "Oh, come back Wednesday". Never hurts to try!

[MARM 7]

Case processing has not resumed, no touches, nothing...

I don't know what is the proper course of action. It has been 13 days since the USPS confirmation that our RFE response has been delivered. Should I contact my congressman? Senators? I don't know what to do, this is so frustrating