Filing taxes ? help and advise needed

[Mrs Slade 1]

Hi, taxes time is here so here is my situation and question :

I'm from Belgium and still receive disability monthly income (due to particular agreements exist between the 2 countries) even if I'm living in US I can still continue to be paid (for now).

My (US) husband has filled his own taxes.

I will have to file mine probably around September (because documents are not provided before that date).

I still have to file my non resident taxes in Belgium.

Does someone know what/if/how I have to do for the USA ? I'm living in CA.

Thanks a lot for reading this and helping me....

[NickD 203]

60-70% of Americans can't file their own taxes, have to pay somebody to prepare them, so you are not alone.

As married, you either have to file a joint return or married filing separately, get more deductions when filing jointly, like to do this both ways, only takes a few minutes when you have all the numbers. USCIS however favors a joint return, but married filing separately, have to bring in both your forms.

Every, bank, employer, etc., sends 1099's, W-2's, other forms as well to both you and to the IRS. Those numbers have to match on your returns. If your home country is not sending these to the US IRS, don't have to claim it and in particular if you are already paying taxes to your home country.

Wife is kind of in this same position, worked for 25 years in her home country and getting our equivalent of social security, be darned if we are going to claim that. Check is made out to her bank in Venezuela, and we can't even bring that money here!

Also, no such thing as a certified tax preparer in this country and can really run into some weird ones. IRS only has over a thousand forms and 13,000 pages of tax laws. Takes some digging, but can find all this information off the net. Without a computer on the internet, can't even do your taxes anymore. And ironically cannot even deduct your computer and internet cost.

[novedsac 355]

Every, bank, employer, etc., sends 1099's, W-2's, other forms as well to both you and to the IRS. Those numbers have to match on your returns. If your home country is not sending these to the US IRS, don't have to claim it and in particular if you are already paying taxes to your home country.

This is extremely bad advice.

Not having a W2 or 1099 does not relieve you of the obligation for reporting income. By law, you must report worldwide income, regardless of whether the payee is reporting that income or not.

Yes, you can get credit for some taxes paid to another jurisdiction. And there are thresholds to earnings outside the USA before you must pay income tax, but you still must report the income.