newbie questions about filing taxes

[kevinj 19]

Hi! I know I'm being a flake - but I totally forgot there's such a thing as taxes, and here I am with less than 24 hours to figure it all out! Could you please take pity on a flaky newbie and answer these quickies for me :

1/ SHOULD I FILE AT ALL? My wife (US citizen) and I have been married since Dec 2008 ; I was granted my green card in Mar 2009. She is a full time student and didn't make any money, living off student loans instead. (If she filed separately, she wouldn't have to file at all.) I mostly lived off old savings and due to bad economy made very little money, about $7000 for all of 2009.

My immigration sponsor is my wife's stepfather, who lives 3,000 miles away, earns a generous wage, but almost certainly hasn't claimed me as a dependent (I haven't talked to him in a while, but I feel quite confident on this).

Should we file a tax return at all?

2/ DO WE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH EITC? (Earned Income Tax Credit) This is a question on the very first page of the irs e-filing system and I have no clue ... I started the irs online tool to figure out if we need to do this, but it asks questions I don't know the answer to ... Like do I qualify as someone else's dependent? (My sponsor??)

Please help me out! A million thanks and blessings to you!

Kevin

[Anh map 2,098]

You would not likely be a cosponsor's dependent. Work through the online tool to see what you come up with. If you had some payroll taxes witheld there may well be refund of some sort.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

You are not anybody's dependent.

Your income is not enough to file. But if you worked, you should have received a W2 from you employer(s). If money was held out for Federal taxes, then that money is returned to you if you file. There's also credits for things like tuition that some students qualify for. Earned Income Credit (EIC) is a bonus of sorts for people who do work at a job (earn income)but they don't earn very much. They get some extra money back.

Some of these things may benefit you by filing, but you'd have to fill in the numbers to see if there is money coming your way by filing.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

THE, by far, MOST IMPORTANT documents when filing your I-751 in two years, is your JOINT tax returns. I don't know if you have worked at all in 2009, but why would you not want to tell Uncle Sam that your wife and you are married and live in the same household? By all means, go FILE today! If you owe nothing . . . good! If you get money back . . . even better! But what's BEST is the jointly filed tax return per se in regard to your immigration. It's a Federal document, and as such invaluable.

[rin and john 71]

Hi! I know I'm being a flake - but I totally forgot there's such a thing as taxes, and here I am with less than 24 hours to figure it all out! Could you please take pity on a flaky newbie and answer these quickies for me :

1/ SHOULD I FILE AT ALL? My wife (US citizen) and I have been married since Dec 2008 ; I was granted my green card in Mar 2009. She is a full time student and didn't make any money, living off student loans instead. (If she filed separately, she wouldn't have to file at all.) I mostly lived off old savings and due to bad economy made very little money, about $7000 for all of 2009.

My immigration sponsor is my wife's stepfather, who lives 3,000 miles away, earns a generous wage, but almost certainly hasn't claimed me as a dependent (I haven't talked to him in a while, but I feel quite confident on this).

Should we file a tax return at all?

2/ DO WE HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH EITC? (Earned Income Tax Credit) This is a question on the very first page of the irs e-filing system and I have no clue ... I started the irs online tool to figure out if we need to do this, but it asks questions I don't know the answer to ... Like do I qualify as someone else's dependent? (My sponsor??)

Please help me out! A million thanks and blessings to you!

Kevin

Did your wife file taxes?

Was she claimed on anyone else's return as a dependent (perhaps her parents claimed her?)

Definitely go thru the calculations, as you were eligible to file MFJ for tax years 2008 and 2009. You and your wife probably qualified for the recovery tax credit that could be up to $1,200 depending on your situation.

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=177937,00.html

John

[kevinj 19]

Thank you for your replies!

In the end, I found the necessary bits of paper (W2 etc.) and filed electronically. I filed a joint return for my wife and I for the reasons you gave. The forms said I should get about $900 back, but I had to guess at a question or two, so we'll see if that actually happens

thanks for your help!

[Darnell 8,479]

Oh - I say do it all. PREPARE 2008 and 2009 TY, filing as 'married filing jointly' .

It's good exercise - gets the two of you something to do whilst yer waiting for the greencard to arrive, keeps you busy whilst she's out of the house, working. Knowledge acquisition is great, also !!!

Then, when you get yer SSN, FILE. Who knows? YOU TWO might have a nice refund amount, pay for some food or rent in the upcoming months.