filing tax question???

[epoy2 0]

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

[Nanusia & Lukaszek 0]

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

You can actually still file single, because you were single for more than 50% of the yr. Your only other option is married filing separately (which penalizes you a little on the financial side for not doing joint filing). I assume your wife doesn't have a SS# yet, then this is your best bet.

[epoy2 0]

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

thanks for the reply.

what do you mean by me being penalized financialy?

sorry i didnt get what you meant.

God Bless.

You can actually still file single, because you were single for more than 50% of the yr. Your only other option is married filing separately (which penalizes you a little on the financial side for not doing joint filing). I assume your wife doesn't have a SS# yet, then this is your best bet.

[epoy2 0]

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

You can actually still file single, because you were single for more than 50% of the yr. Your only other option is married filing separately (which penalizes you a little on the financial side for not doing joint filing). I assume your wife doesn't have a SS# yet, then this is your best bet.

thanks for the reply.

what do you mean by me being penalized?

sorry i didnt understand what you meant.

God Bless.

[DelcoCouple 1]

.....

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

.......

It really isn't a big hassle to get an ITIN. You can complete the form online BY CLICKING HERE then simply print it off and send to the address shown together with your tax return.

The decision as to how you file is yours of course but if there is a financial advantage to claiming a dependent then why not take it?

IRS is not concerned with immigration status.

Edited January 18, 2007 by DelcoCouple

[payxibka 10,045]

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

You can actually still file single, because you were single for more than 50% of the yr. Your only other option is married filing separately (which penalizes you a little on the financial side for not doing joint filing). I assume your wife doesn't have a SS# yet, then this is your best bet.

You cannot file single as you are married. Your filing status is based on your marital status as of the last day of the year.

However with the IRS there are always exceptions.

Your choices are

Married filing seperate

Married Filing Joint (if you elect to treat your spouses worlwide income as US based income)

Head of Household (if you have another qualifying person)

[Yodrak 7]

epoy2,

Without knowing your financial situation one cannot be sure, but most likely you will be best off filing married-joint.

In any case a spouse cannot be claimed as a dependent. But by filing married-joint you can get the benefit of both her deduction and the lower tax rate that applies.

Yodrak

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

[Ahmad48 0]

its tax season now...

now that i am married to a foreign (filipina) spouse, how should i file my tax.

obviously i cannot file as single anymore.

we got married oct 2006.

is married/ filing separately the best option?

is it possible for me NOT to claim her as my dependent or do i really need to claim her as my dependent?

im planning NOT to claim her (i dont care about getting larger refund ), im trying to avoid from all the hussle of gettng her an ITIN.

any info will be appreciated.

thank you all.

God Bless.

You can actually still file single, because you were single for more than 50% of the yr. Your only other option is married filing separately (which penalizes you a little on the financial side for not doing joint filing). I assume your wife doesn't have a SS# yet, then this is your best bet.

You cannot file single as you are married. Your filing status is based on your marital status as of the last day of the year.

However with the IRS there are always exceptions.

Your choices are

Married filing seperate

Married Filing Joint (if you elect to treat your spouses worlwide income as US based income)

Head of Household (if you have another qualifying person)

From IRS

Topic 353 - What is Your Filing Status?

Generally, your marital status on the last day of the year determines your status for the entire year.

Also From IRS Publication 501

Considered married. You are considered married for the whole year if on the last day of your tax year you and your spouse meet any one of the following tests.

You are married and living together as husband and wife.

You are living together in a common law marriage that is recognized in the state where you now live or in the state where the common law marriage began.

You are married and living apart, but not legally separated under a decree of divorce or separate maintenance.

You are separated under an interlocutory (not final) decree of divorce. For purposes of filing a joint return, you are not considered divorced.

regards,

Mujeeb

[NaijaPrincess Need NaijaPrince 0]

Filing jointly would give you "brownie" points towards proof that your relationship is bone a fide. I would do that if I were you.