a tax return question

[soni1952 0]

hello all.

I am a US citizen, and got married in December'06 in india. Now when I file my tax return for the year 2006, should I file as single or jointlly? Its more like an IRS question, but the reason why I am asking is that,

'lets say, I file jointly, then will there be a problem at the time of her visa interview, as they will see her name on my 2006 tax return' ???

or

'lets say, I file as single, then will they (at the consulate office) say that, how come I filed as a single even though I was married in december'06' ??

I am not sure what to expect? anyone w/ a similar scenario? please help.

thanks a lot

[payxibka 10,045]

hello all.

I am a US citizen, and got married in December'06 in india. Now when I file my tax return for the year 2006, should I file as single or jointlly? Its more like an IRS question, but the reason why I am asking is that,

'lets say, I file jointly, then will there be a problem at the time of her visa interview, as they will see her name on my 2006 tax return' ???

or

'lets say, I file as single, then will they (at the consulate office) say that, how come I filed as a single even though I was married in december'06' ??

I am not sure what to expect? anyone w/ a similar scenario? please help.

thanks a lot

Your choices are

Married filing seperate

Married filing joint (only if you opt for the special provision and to claim her worldwide income as US based income for 2006)

Head of household (if you have another qualifying person)

See IRS Pub 17 or 501

[flicki 0]

I wouldn't worry about any complications with your visa based on how you file your taxes. The IRS does not care about immigration status and I assume the USCIS does not care about tax status. Because you were married in 2006, if you choose so you can treat your wife as a resident alien (as far as the IRS is concerned) and file your taxes jointly.

Just calculate your taxes married single vs married joint (unless you can claim head of household which is best) and see what is best for you.

In my case, my wife was a student in Germany this year, so filing joint married saved us a lot of $. Since she does not have a SSN, you will need to apply for a tax id number from the IRS. See fwaguy reference to the IRS document. Look under resident alien categories.

Bottom line, if your wife was working, it will probably be best to file as married-seperate.