joint vs. separate filing taxes???

[jwcir12016 32]

I am a little confused when it comes to filing taxes, our case is currently at NVC, and my husband is still working overseas. I would love to file joint this year because of the bigger refund, but I read that I must submit evidence of my husband's income? Is this true? He doesn't make much and does not have any official evidence. What else do I need to submit? He DOES have a ss# due to a previous stay in the US. Any help would be great, thanks in advance.

[Ryan H 3,812]

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

[aaron2020 11,651]

I am a little confused when it comes to filing taxes, our case is currently at NVC, and my husband is still working overseas. I would love to file joint this year because of the bigger refund, but I read that I must submit evidence of my husband's income? Is this true? He doesn't make much and does not have any official evidence. What else do I need to submit? He DOES have a ss# due to a previous stay in the US. Any help would be great, thanks in advance.

You have two choices.

Choice 1: Married filing separately. Only your income is reported and is taxable. You will get a compressed tax bracket.

Choice 2: Married by filing jointly. Husband who is a non-resident alien would elect to be treated as a US taxpayer by the IRS. He uses his SS#. Your and his income would both needed to be reported and taxed. You will need to provide tax documents from his home country.

[jwcir12016 32]

You have two choices.

Choice 1: Married filing separately. Only your income is reported and is taxable. You will get a compressed tax bracket.

Choice 2: Married by filing jointly. Husband who is a non-resident alien would elect to be treated as a US taxpayer by the IRS. He uses his SS#. Your and his income would both needed to be reported and taxed. You will need to provide tax documents from his home country.

So if getting his income on paper is like jumping through hoops I should just file separately until he is physically here and working....thanks for your help.

[JRF 117]

So if getting his income on paper is like jumping through hoops I should just file separately until he is physically here and working....thanks for your help.

Depends on how much the hoop jumping is worth to you. Married filing joint should end up with a lower effective tax rate. Your husband does not have an SSN, you will need to apply for a ITIN (look up the process on google). You will see lots of companies who want to charge for the service. In my opinion, its a very straightforward DIY process. Save the money, and file joint on your own.

I didn't provide any tax documents for my wife (to my knowledge they don't exist, but I am not a Vietnamese tax expert). I provided documentation (not government, from her employer) of her income. It's all I had, and was acceptable.

Edited December 28, 2015 by JRF

[jwcir12016 32]

Depends on how much the hoop jumping is worth to you. Married filing joint should end up with a lower effective tax rate. Your husband does not have an SSN, you will need to apply for a ITIN (look up the process on google). You will see lots of companies who want to charge for the service. In my opinion, its a very straightforward DIY process. Save the money, and file joint on your own.

He has a ss# so that isn't the issue, I am more concerned about the evidence to show his income in Peru. How formal does it have to be? Just a letter from the both of us, or actual pay stubs?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

He has a ss# so that isn't the issue, I am more concerned about the evidence to show his income in Peru. How formal does it have to be? Just a letter from the both of us, or actual pay stubs?

The IRS forms do not actually require any paper evidence of the foreign income. It is self reported and converted to US dollars. Any evidence or documentation would be for your records in case of audit, which would be unlikely on a small pittance of income.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

An itin usually takes 6-8 weeks to obtain