Don't put NRA for Spouses SSN on Tax return. You need an ITIN.

[No name 88 48]

I was looking at filing taxes and originally I was going to file single just for simplicity and do an amended return later.

Before you say it.......Yeah I know you can't do that; but I don't care. I'm just providing info back to VJ.

We'll now my wife can join me in the US for tax season so I figured I'd just get an ITIN and gave the IRS office in Fairfield, NJ a call to see if they do document acceptance when filing a W-7 and return. They do; they told me the passport holder needs to be present, OK not a problem. Then I fined out that the IRS is no longer accepting returns that the spouses SSN spot has the following written in "spot left blank", "applied for", "NRA". The women on the phone said this was a change for this year as they want people to file the W-7 and get an ITIN.

I did try to get certified copies in Vietnam. The consulate only does notary here for foreign passports; no good.The first certified copy I got just turned out to be a certified English translation of a document already in English....---holes! The second certified copy I got stated that the signing authority of the passport was certified by the proper certifying authority which has the authority to certify of said document for the purpose of certifying the certifier of certification in which certify; no joke I just copied it from the paper but does have three red stamps.......Oh Vietnam. Maybe I should have paid more than $5.

Edited March 4, 2014 by Todd&Hanh

[JRF 117]

I was looking at filing taxes and originally I was going to file single just for simplicity and do an amended return later.

Before you say it.......Yeah I know you can't do that; but I don't care. I'm just providing info back to VJ.

We'll now my wife can join me in the US for tax season so I figured I'd just get an ITIN and gave the IRS office in Fairfield, NJ a call to see if they do document acceptance when filing a W-7 and return. They do; they told me the passport holder needs to be present, OK not a problem. Then I fined out that the IRS is no longer accepting returns that the spouses SSN spot has the following written in "spot left blank", "applied for", "NRA". The women on the phone said this was a change for this year as they want people to file the W-7 and get an ITIN.

I did try to get certified copies in Vietnam. The consulate only does notary here for foreign passports; no good.The first certified copy I got just turned out to be a certified English translation of a document already in English....---holes! The second certified copy I got stated that the signing authority of the passport was certified by the proper certifying authority which has the authority to certify of said document for the purpose of certifying the certifier of certification in which certify; no joke I just copied it from the paper but does have three red stamps.......Oh Vietnam. Maybe I should have paid more than $5.

Hmm...you got three red stamps for $5. I believe we paid $30 for a single red stamp. My memory is vague (a sign of old age) but my wife was able to get a certified copy from the People's Committee relatively easily (and in my Californian mind relatively cheaply). Anyways, the IRS accepted what I sent and never asked for proof we were actually married. I was waiting for IRS and ICE agents to emerge from black helicopters at any time...never happened.

[No name 88 48]

Unfortunately that was from the peoples committee of her home town. I'll just submit my return at the local IRS office. I got lucky with that as my accountant is just one town over from that office. It'll save me 20k between the wife and the child credit.

I was just surprised that you can't write NRA on the return anymore as that was recommend by a lot of people for this year.