W-2 form if working abroad (DCF)

[mnm14 0]

Hi,

I'm really sorry if this has been answered before. I tried searching the forums but couldn't find a specific answer to my question.

My US citizen wife and I recently filed our I-130 at the consulate and it was approved, and we were given the packet with DS-230, I-864, medical exam instructions, etc which we need to complete before I can schedule my visa interview.

We're working on the I-864 right now, and have a question. Regarding tax info for my wife (the US citizen petitioner). My wife has been working at a non-US company here in Lebanon for the past 6 years, so she does not receive a W-2 form from her employer. Her income is below the exclusion limit so she doesn't owe any taxes, but she has been diligently filing her tax returns (forms 1040 and 2555-EZ) on time each year, and she has kept copies of those forms for her records. However, the instructions for I-864 state:

If you provide a photocopy of your tax return(s), you must include a copy of each and every Form W-2 and Form 1099 that relates to your return(s)

She doesn't have either of those forms...all she files every year is form 1040 and 2555-EZ (and I imagine this is the norm for US citizens working at a foreign company abroad). So what should we do in this case? Thanks!

[marriedtomrg 141]

You can ask her to request IRS tax transcripts. Those may be submitted without W-2s. Have her visit the IRS website for information on how to request for tax transcripts.

Hi,

I'm really sorry if this has been answered before. I tried searching the forums but couldn't find a specific answer to my question.

My US citizen wife and I recently filed our I-130 at the consulate and it was approved, and we were given the packet with DS-230, I-864, medical exam instructions, etc which we need to complete before I can schedule my visa interview.

We're working on the I-864 right now, and have a question. Regarding tax info for my wife (the US citizen petitioner). My wife has been working at a non-US company here in Lebanon for the past 6 years, so she does not receive a W-2 form from her employer. Her income is below the exclusion limit so she doesn't owe any taxes, but she has been diligently filing her tax returns (forms 1040 and 2555-EZ) on time each year, and she has kept copies of those forms for her records. However, the instructions for I-864 state:

If you provide a photocopy of your tax return(s), you must include a copy of each and every Form W-2 and Form 1099 that relates to your return(s)

She doesn't have either of those forms...all she files every year is form 1040 and 2555-EZ (and I imagine this is the norm for US citizens working at a foreign company abroad). So what should we do in this case? Thanks!

[mnm14 0]

Thanks. I do know about the transcripts, but having them mailed to Lebanon will take several weeks, and we're almost done with the other requirements and might be able to schedule my interview within the next couple of weeks. We have photocopies of her filed 1040 and 2555-EZ forms for the past few years in hand already.

If there's no other way besides getting transcripts, then we'll do that. But seeing that the W-2 does not even apply in her case, I'm wondering if we'll be able to submit the photocopies of the 1040 and 2555-EZ without the W-2. Hoping someone else who's been through a similar situation can shed some insight on this matter.

[Christi85 86]

Your wife has been working abroad so has no W-2.

So the Consulate does not obviously expect to see W-2s if they don't exist.

I would ask the Consulate if they need to see any further proof of income apart from the tax returns. Maybe your wife's paychecks for the tax year or maybe the Lebanese equivalent of a W-2 (some official document produced by her employer showing how much income she made, how much tax she paid etc.).

It may be much simpler than you think - London for example accepts tax returns without any further evidence of income for those working in the UK. But you'd have to ask your individual Consulate, as each Consulate tends to have different rules.

Edited January 24, 2011 by Christi85

[mnm14 0]

Thanks Christi! That was really helpful I've already emailed the embassy to ask them...hoping to get a reply within a couple of days. I'm hoping they would treat it as they do in London with just requiring the tax returns as my wife files them to the IRS (1040+2555-EZ with no W-2 obviously). Then we won't have to bother with trying to get transcripts (which won't add any additional information in our case anyway) and waiting for them to come in international mail.

[dani ela 0]

IT'S EASY, I AM AMERICAN CITIZEN , WORKED IN DOHA FOR 3 YEARS AND FILLED TAXES EVERY YEAR. YOUR WIFE IS VERY SMART, SHE SHOULD FILE EVERY YEAR EVEN IF SHE DOESNT HAVE INCOME ORIGINATING IN USA, IT'S THE LAW, AND IMMIGRATION IS VERY STRICT ABOUT IT.

EVERY YEAR I TOOK A SALARY LETTER FROM MY COMPANY AND SENT IT TO MY ACCOUNTANT IN USA AND HALAS, THE IRS ACCEPTS THAT. ACTUALY MY BOSS, WHO IS ALSO AMERICAN DOESNT EVEN SEND A SALARY LETTER, SHE JUST PUTS ANY INCOME THERE AND THEY ACCEPT IT...SHE TOLD ME WHY STUPID TO TELL THEM HOW MUCH TO PAY BUT I WAS DOING IMMIGRATION AND WANTED TO BE WORRY FREE

SORRY...JUST INCLUDE SALARY LETTER, THEY KNOW SHE WORKS ABROAD AND BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE

[femmefatality 0]

Bumping an outdated thread with a related question!

I'm in the process of back-filing taxes for the past 3 years so I can meet the requires of mine & my husband's i-864.

I lived & worked in the UK for 2 of the 3 years.

I've read that the UK equivalent of a W-2 would be a 'statement of earnings' or a P45/P60 form. I don't have these forms and I'm not sure how to contact the companies I worked for in the UK for those documents.

Will I require official documentation of my earnings abroad when I go to my tax preparer in order to file for the past 3 years?

Or, is it enough to roughly estimate my cumulative income?

Thanks!