Filing Joint Taxes

[Emendez 0]

I'm starting this thread about taxes and filing jointly while waiting for visa approval.

Hopefully this will help someone.

My husband and I were married on December 1, 2014. If you are married one day in the calendar year for which you are filing taxes, you must file married.

Deciding married joint or separate: In our case, filing married separate would have caused me to owe. Filing married joint gave us a return .

You CAN file married joint even if your spouse is not yet in the U.S. and has not yet received their visa.

In order to file taxes in the U.S. - you either need a Social Security number or a T I N number. A TIN number is an identification number the IRS gives to a non-resident alien for tax purposes ONLY.

To file jointly, your non-resident alien spouse must sign an affidavit that they would like to be treated as a US citizen for tax purposes only. The US spouse agrees to pay the worldwide tax for their non-alien resident spouse. Because my husband, who is from the Dominican Republic, did not have a large income - the tax I paid for his wages was minimal. When I say the tax I paid I don't mean a physical payment of money. On my tax return we simply added my wages plus his wages and I adjusted my taxes on both combined.

How to apply for a TIN and file joint:

Step one: complete your tax return. Include your alien spouses wages. Include an affidavit from your spouse stating that he or she wishes to be treated as a US citizen for tax purposes only. You will be filing a paper return.

Step two: Download the W7 form from the IRS webpage. Complete the form and attach your completed tax return. Your Alien spouse must sign the W7 form.

Step three: go to an IRS walk in center. Bring the signed W7 form, the paper copy of your IRS return (that includes the affidavit from your spouse) and your alien spouse's passport.

Step four: The IRS walk in center will receive your W7, tax return and alien spouses passport. They will file the documents together as a package.

Receiving TIN #: Within 4 to 7 weeks you will receive your alien spouses TIN number. Separately (within one week) you will receive the original passport in the mail .

Tax Return: After your TIN number has been assigned, the IRS will automatically file your return on your behalf. Once approved you should receive your return within 4 to 6 weeks.

Note: if your alien spouse is in the US - he or she can go with you to the IRS walk in center and present his passport in person. They will make a copy and return it to your spouse immediately.

Wish you well.

[novedsac 355]

I'm starting this thread about taxes and filing jointly while waiting for visa approval.

Hopefully this will help someone.

My husband and I were married on December 1, 2014. If you are married one day in the calendar year for which you are filing taxes, you must file married.

Not exactly. It's your marital status on December 31st of that year that counts. You could be married in March and divorced in October, then you must file as single/head of household (if qualified) for that tax year.

You can also provide a certified copy of your passport with the W7; certified by the issuing organization. This may or may not be an issue depending on the country the applicant is from. Seems this is the hurdle that prevents many from filing for the ITIN ... that, and waiting until the last minute to figure things out.

Spot on for everything else.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to Tax & Finances During US Immigration forum.

[carsononian 0]

Thank you for your post. My fiancé will be in the US at the end of August and we will be getting married no later than October 24th. What is the process for her to file for a social security number? or does she need the TIN?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thank you for your post. My fiancé will be in the US at the end of August and we will be getting married no later than October 24th. What is the process for her to file for a social security number? or does she need the TIN?

A K1 fiancé is eligible for a SSN. Go to a social security office shortly after she arrives and apply. She does not have to be married yet. Apply in her maiden name exactly as it is shown on her I-94 entry record. Change the name later. There is a guide for the details. Click the Guides tab in the menu bar and look in the right column.

[carsononian 0]

A K1 fiancé is eligible for a SSN. Go to a social security office shortly after she arrives and apply. She does not have to be married yet. Apply in her maiden name exactly as it is shown on her I-94 entry record. Change the name later. There is a guide for the details. Click the Guides tab in the menu bar and look in the right column.

Thank you for your response. It has been most helpful.