Fillig Taxes as Married Filling separately

[Ahmad El-Zayat 5]

Hello guys,

 

i am filling IR1/CR1 visa for my husband and currently need to file in my 2017 taxes so i can forward them to NVC,

 

i was wondering what is the fastest way to file my taxes as married filling separately as my husband is living overseas and does not have SSN or TIN.

i was told that i can no longer fill in " NRA " in place of SSN or TIN on the taxes forums, can someone confirm this please?

 

Thank you all in advance!

[EandH0904 1,184]

Sure you can but you have to do a paper return to do it instead of doing them online. 

 

 

[shumway1756 304]

The IRS is confused on this point. Here's a little info from the IRS itself:

 

On their website, updated May 21, 2018 (although it's said this for longer than that), the IRS clearly says: "IRS processes returns showing SSNs or ITINs in the blanks where tax forms request SSNs. IRS no longer accepts, and will not process, forms showing "SSA", 205c", "applied for", "NRA",& blanks, etc." (See source page here). Note that they say "blanks" and "SSNs", plural, meaning they're not just talking about the primary filer.

 

However, in the official 1040 instructions, they say: "Be sure to enter your spouse's SSN or ITIN on Form 1040. If your spouse doesn't have and isn't required to have an SSN or ITIN, enter 'NRA.'" (See source here).

 

Whoever told you that you can't file without an SSN or ITIN probably saw the IRS's instructions that I first mentioned.

 

I am more inclined to follow the 1040 instructions since they come in the form of an official document (not just text on a webpage), not to mention lots of people here have done this successfully. I personally took the time to get an ITIN for my wife because it worked out to get a much better refund, but that's up to you. If you're looking for speed, then yeah, doing without will be faster as the ITIN application adds a few weeks.

Also, check your state filing requirements. Not all states accept "NRA" and some will require that you have an ITIN for her before they allow you to file. So you may end up needing to do it anyways, and you typically have to apply for it at the same time that you submit your federal return.

 

Happy filing!

[JFH 12,190]

*~*~*moved from "IR-1/CR-1 spouse visa progress reports" to "tax and finances"*~*~*

[876girl 6]

On 7/22/2018 at 4:48 AM, shumway1756 said:

The IRS is confused on this point. Here's a little info from the IRS itself:

 

On their website, updated May 21, 2018 (although it's said this for longer than that), the IRS clearly says: "IRS processes returns showing SSNs or ITINs in the blanks where tax forms request SSNs. IRS no longer accepts, and will not process, forms showing "SSA", 205c", "applied for", "NRA",& blanks, etc." (See source page here). Note that they say "blanks" and "SSNs", plural, meaning they're not just talking about the primary filer.

 

However, in the official 1040 instructions, they say: "Be sure to enter your spouse's SSN or ITIN on Form 1040. If your spouse doesn't have and isn't required to have an SSN or ITIN, enter 'NRA.'" (See source here).

 

Whoever told you that you can't file without an SSN or ITIN probably saw the IRS's instructions that I first mentioned.

 

I am more inclined to follow the 1040 instructions since they come in the form of an official document (not just text on a webpage), not to mention lots of people here have done this successfully. I personally took the time to get an ITIN for my wife because it worked out to get a much better refund, but that's up to you. If you're looking for speed, then yeah, doing without will be faster as the ITIN application adds a few weeks.

Also, check your state filing requirements. Not all states accept "NRA" and some will require that you have an ITIN for her before they allow you to file. So you may end up needing to do it anyways, and you typically have to apply for it at the same time that you submit your federal return.

 

Happy filing!

Hi how long did it take to get the ITIN for your spouse?

[shumway1756 304]

1 minute ago, 876girl said:

Hi how long did it take to get the ITIN for your spouse?

From the time the IRS received the W7 with my federal return, we got the ITIN in the mail 1 month and 3 days later. I was able to file my state taxes immediately after receiving that.

 

My federal refund was issued approximately 1 month after the ITIN came.

[876girl 6]

2 minutes ago, shumway1756 said:

From the time the IRS received the W7 with my federal return, we got the ITIN in the mail 1 month and 3 days later. I was able to file my state taxes immediately after receiving that.

 

My federal refund was issued approximately 1 month after the ITIN came.

Thanks for the quick reply, i filed my taxes as head of household and need to amend to file jointly, do you know if i send the amended with w7 if it will be processed all at once or should apply for the ITIN and then do the amendment?

[shumway1756 304]

1 minute ago, 876girl said:

Thanks for the quick reply, i filed my taxes as head of household and need to amend to file jointly, do you know if i send the amended with w7 if it will be processed all at once or should apply for the ITIN and then do the amendment?

On this I’m not totally sure. I believe the W7 needs to be filed with something, not by itself, so I’m inclined to think that would be how you do it.

 

However, I’m not confident, so don’t act based on what I’ve said here. You’ll want to verify this with the IRS.

[876girl 6]

1 minute ago, shumway1756 said:

On this I’m not totally sure. I believe the W7 needs to be filed with something, not by itself, so I’m inclined to think that would be how you do it.

 

However, I’m not confident, so don’t act based on what I’ve said here. You’ll want to verify this with the IRS.

Thanks alot!

[JC&BS 75]

On 8/22/2018 at 8:36 AM, shumway1756 said:

From the time the IRS received the W7 with my federal return, we got the ITIN in the mail 1 month and 3 days later. I was able to file my state taxes immediately after receiving that.

 

My federal refund was issued approximately 1 month after the ITIN came.

Did you send in the paper version of your return?

[shumway1756 304]

2 hours ago, JC&BS said:

Did you send in the paper version of your return?

Yes. Return must be paper filed when requesting an ITIN.