Filing taxes during AOS process + I have SSN

[vhutchinson 0]

Hi there, 

 

I'm a Canadian currently residing in the US with my American husband.  I came here in March 2020 to visit and ended up staying for a while due to COVID.  We were already engaged with a wedding date in June 2022, so we decided to get married in August and pursue the AOS.  When I came in March, I was still working for a Canadian organization (virtually, due to COVID).  I left that role at the end of August 2020 and have not worked since. 

 

I'm wondering if I should be filing US taxes for 2020.  The potentially complicating factor is that I do already have a SSN here in the US, as I previously had a TN visa to complete contract work for a US company.  The contract fell through and I never needed to use the TN, so I have never received any income here in the US. 

 

If I should be filing taxes, can anyone recommend a program that works well for foreigners/non-standard situations like mine?  Any help would be much appreciated! 

 

Thanks,

Vanessa 

[Ayrton 965]

6 minutes ago, vhutchinson said:

Hi there, 

 

I'm a Canadian currently residing in the US with my American husband.  I came here in March 2020 to visit and ended up staying for a while due to COVID.  We were already engaged with a wedding date in June 2022, so we decided to get married in August and pursue the AOS.  When I came in March, I was still working for a Canadian organization (virtually, due to COVID).  I left that role at the end of August 2020 and have not worked since. 

 

I'm wondering if I should be filing US taxes for 2020.  The potentially complicating factor is that I do already have a SSN here in the US, as I previously had a TN visa to complete contract work for a US company.  The contract fell through and I never needed to use the TN, so I have never received any income here in the US. 

 

If I should be filing taxes, can anyone recommend a program that works well for foreigners/non-standard situations like mine?  Any help would be much appreciated! 

 

Thanks,

Vanessa 

File taxes jointly with your spouse. You will even be able to claim the Covid rebates. You guys can write a letter asking you to be treated as a resident Alien for the whole year. You will have to declare your foreign income, but that will be exempt. Not all softwares have the option to send the resident Alien statement, so you might need to file taxes by paper.

 

[JeanneAdil 6,510]

the online sites that do allow the documents to be scanned are helpful but IRS likes to see originals and filing by paper is sometimes faster in they ask for an original 

you'll need to file the 2555 form for foreign income exclusion

 

 

[apd 8]

Following this as well as I'm in a similar situation.

 

* Are there any recommended tax preparers who can handle this situation? 

* Would franchises like Liberty Tax or H&R Block be good enough to handle this?