Citizenship for daughter (19 ½)

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I have a relatively simple question - I am just looking ahead for when my daughter can apply foro her own citizenship in about 2 yrs. Since arriving here at 16 she has not held a job and we've claimed her on our taxes as a dependent.

Should we go ahead and complete a 1040EZ form for each year she's been here so that she has filed her taxes theoretically each year? Or should she only do so for years since she was 18? Any stipulation there?

Regardless she has not earned a cent in the US so it's easy enough for us to file them. We'd of course like her to have her tax transcripts when applying for citizenship in the future.

Thoughts?

[v333k 59]

It was my understanding that if your child obtains residency through a parent and that parent naturalizes prior to the 18th b-day, the child naturalizes as well. I might be missing something in your question.

Oh, if you do file for your daughter the 1040EZ, then you will have to refile all your forms as well since you claimed her as a dependent and now she is on her own... probably, keep what you have and she can show that she has been claimed as a dependent and that should be enough...

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Oh, if you do file for your daughter the 1040EZ, then you will have to refile all your forms as well since you claimed her as a dependent and now she is on her own... probably, keep what you have and she can show that she has been claimed as a dependent and that should be enough...

If she files EZ for years past, it will not change your taxes at all. There is an exception for each person, and also a box that "no one else can claim me as a dependent." Your daughter would choose "1" for herself, but NOT check the "no one else can claim me as a dependent" box. As to whether or not you need to file taxes for 0 income for a 19 yr old daughter just to comply with a requirement, I do not know, but if you go this route, you do not need to change your own taxes at all.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

It was my understanding that if your child obtains residency through a parent and that parent naturalizes prior to the 18th b-day, the child naturalizes as well. I might be missing something in your question.

Oh, if you do file for your daughter the 1040EZ, then you will have to refile all your forms as well since you claimed her as a dependent and now she is on her own... probably, keep what you have and she can show that she has been claimed as a dependent and that should be enough...

My daughter has not obtained citizenship through me (I just took the oath last week and she is 19)

Not asking how to file it - just whether I should so that when she applies for citizenship in a couple years she will be all squared away?

[v333k 59]

If she had no income, then she is not required to file taxes - and since she is on your returns as a dependent I think that should suffice... that's my opinion though.

[NickD 203]

Even though my stepdaughter that received her US citizenship at 21 years, waiting over five years, did have some part time jobs with tax transcripts. Her IO didn't even want to look at them.

Showing tax returns or transcripts is not even a requirement for the five year even if employed. She just got her certificate last March, so fairly recent. Your daughter will also have be a LPR for five years, half of my stepdaughters' was loaded with N/A's. Your daughter never failed to file tax returns, she didn't have to. For employment history, type NONE.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Even though my stepdaughter that received her US citizenship at 21 years, waiting over five years, did have some part time jobs with tax transcripts. Her IO didn't even want to look at them.

Showing tax returns or transcripts is not even a requirement for the five year even if employed. She just got her certificate last March, so fairly recent. Your daughter will also have be a LPR for five years, half of my stepdaughters' was loaded with N/A's. Your daughter never failed to file tax returns, she didn't have to. For employment history, type NONE.

You know - I just assumed it was the same - good points and yes, my husband said the same thing - she's never worked so she's never failed to file!

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Since she never worked and never filed, the tax returns to submit with the N-400 are yours were you claimed her as a dependent. You can file $0 tax returns for her, but in this particular case I feel it's really not necessary.