K1 visa - filing first tax return after marriage in USA

[K_NZ 2]

Hi,

 

I don't know if anyone has any experience in a similar situation...  I am the Alien resident married to a US citizen. I was previously living in Canada but am not a Canadian citizen (I lived in Canada for 2.5 years) I was born and raised in New Zealand.

 

I arrived in US and married in October 2016, was fortunate to get an expedite on EAD and started working December. We are now trying to figure out how to file taxes. We are looking to file jointly.

 

My understanding is my foreign income is tax exempt due to the treaty between US and Canada. However when we have been entering the details in TurboTax (entered at the uncommon income section) the amount for refund drops significantly once we enter this information. Has anyone been in this situation and have any advice, or otherwise we might need to find a local tax specialist to help keep our tax refund..

 

Would it have anything to do with my temporary status in Canada, even though I was deemed a resident for taxes in Canada.

 

Please I'd appreciate any information anyone might have

 

 

[Charlie_AnaLynn 2]

For your first tax return together, I would go to a tax person to get it done. You might not be answering the questions correctly in the program and therefore no maximizing your refund. After the first year, and things like your income and withholdings normalize, then you guys may go back to TurboTax.   

[K_NZ 2]

Thanks Charlie_Analyn, we kind of agree that's the option we need to take. 

[LiveFree1255 1]

On 2/16/2017 at 8:07 AM, K_NZ said:

Thanks Charlie_Analyn, we kind of agree that's the option we need to take. 

Hey, i know this is an old thread, but I've found myself in a similar situation as yourself (not a canadian citizen, but canadian PR - lived there for many years, before moving to the US this year).

Just wondering, were you able to find a good cross border tax accountant to get your taxes done? if so, are you able to recommend them? any help would be much appreciated

[K_NZ 2]

@m1elecita I ended up filling via Turbotax or H&R (can't remember now) it seemed to go smoothly enough after I did some more reading on where I should declare it. 

[LiveFree1255 1]

1 hour ago, K_NZ said:

@m1elecita I ended up filling via Turbotax or H&R (can't remember now) it seemed to go smoothly enough after I did some more reading on where I should declare it. 

ah good to know, thanks so much for getting back to me!

 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

On 2/26/2019 at 3:13 PM, m1elecita said:

Hey, i know this is an old thread, but I've found myself in a similar situation as yourself (not a canadian citizen, but canadian PR - lived there for many years, before moving to the US this year).

Just wondering, were you able to find a good cross border tax accountant to get your taxes done? if so, are you able to recommend them? any help would be much appreciated

 

Have you tried TurboTax?  Sometimes it's just understanding the questions and answering them correctly.