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Hello everyone, question about filing taxes next year. My fiance will be arriving in October to the US on a K-1 visa. Once we are married and have his SSN, how do I go about putting him on my taxes for next year? I know that married filing jointly will be the most likely answer, but do I claim him as a dependent and me as head of household since he won't be working at that time? Is there any specific documentation that has to be submitted with our forms? Usually I just do a form 1040 so nothing too complicated. Any advice is appreciated.

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline
Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, UsagiCosplay said:

Hello everyone, question about filing taxes next year. My fiance will be arriving in October to the US on a K-1 visa. Once we are married and have his SSN, how do I go about putting him on my taxes for next year? I know that married filing jointly will be the most likely answer, but do I claim him as a dependent and me as head of household since he won't be working at that time? Is there any specific documentation that has to be submitted with our forms? Usually I just do a form 1040 so nothing too complicated. Any advice is appreciated.

It depends on several factors.  Did he have income before coming to the US, etc.  If you file "Married-Filing Jointly", world-wide income for BOTH spouses must be reported for the entire tax year.  Spouses are never listed as dependents.  They are listed as spouses.  

The first year can be a little tricky for some couples.  It is best to calculate whether Married-Filing Jointly or Married- Filing Separately is the better strategy.   It is also possible that he might want to be classified as a dual status resident if he had substantial income before coming to the US.  Good luck.

 

Note:  You will not qualify for Head of Household.

Edited by Lucky Cat

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In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
Timeline
Posted
1 minute ago, UsagiCosplay said:

Thank you! We would file as married filing jointly then. Is there anything extra we need to send in since he won't be a LPR at that point in time?

Not really.  It should be pretty straight forward as long as he has a SSN or ITIN.  

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Taiwan
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Posted
3 minutes ago, UsagiCosplay said:

Thank you! I plan to apply for his SSN upon arrival.

Good plan!!!!! 😀

"The US immigration process requires a great deal of knowledge, planning, time, patience, and a significant amount of money.  It is quite a journey!"

- Some old child of the 50's & 60's on his laptop 

 

Senior Master Sergeant, US Air Force- Retired (after 20+ years)- Missile Systems Maintenance & Titan 2 ICBM Launch Crew Duty (200+ Alert tours)

Registered Nurse- Retired- I practiced in the areas of Labor & Delivery, Home Health, Adolescent Psych, & Adult Psych.

IT Professional- Retired- Web Site Design, Hardware Maintenance, Compound Pharmacy Software Trainer, On-site go live support, Database Manager, App Designer.

______________________________________

In summary, it took 13 months for approval of the CR-1.  It took 44 months for approval of the I-751.  It took 4 months for approval of the N-400.   It took 172 days from N-400 application to Oath Ceremony.   It took 6 weeks for Passport, then 7 additional weeks for return of wife's Naturalization Certificate.. 
 

Posted
7 hours ago, UsagiCosplay said:

Is there anything extra we need to send in since he won't be a LPR at that point in time?

Since he'll only be in the US for ~3 months of 2021 tax year you'll do the following: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-alien-spouse

How to Make the Choice

Attach a statement, signed by both spouses, to your joint return for the first tax year for which the choice applies. It should contain the following information:

  1. A declaration that one spouse was a nonresident alien and the other spouse a U.S. citizen or resident alien on the last day of the tax year, and that you choose to be treated as U.S. residents for the entire tax year
  2. The name, address, and identification number of each spouse. (If one spouse died, include the name and address of the person making the choice for the deceased spouse.)
Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Algeria
Timeline
Posted
11 hours ago, UsagiCosplay said:

Hello everyone, question about filing taxes next year. My fiance will be arriving in October to the US on a K-1 visa. Once we are married and have his SSN, how do I go about putting him on my taxes for next year? I know that married filing jointly will be the most likely answer, but do I claim him as a dependent and me as head of household since he won't be working at that time? Is there any specific documentation that has to be submitted with our forms? Usually I just do a form 1040 so nothing too complicated. Any advice is appreciated.

You still file the 1040. You will file married and jointly if you are married before December 31, 2021. If you are not married before December 31, 2021 and he has been in the USA for over a certain amount of time you can look at filing for for him as a dependent....but you will need to get the advice of a CPA or Tax advisor for that (regarding timelines and standards for meeting a classification as "dependent")

Posted
1 hour ago, janet3 said:

You still file the 1040. You will file married and jointly if you are married before December 31, 2021. If you are not married before December 31, 2021 and he has been in the USA for over a certain amount of time you can look at filing for for him as a dependent....but you will need to get the advice of a CPA or Tax advisor for that (regarding timelines and standards for meeting a classification as "dependent")

Really?  I'm surprised he could be classified as a dependent, as in that scenario he would be an unrelated person on a non-immigrant visa.

Filed: IR-1/CR-1 Visa Country: Ghana
Timeline
Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, janet3 said:

 If you are not married before December 31, 2021 and he has been in the USA for over a certain amount of time you can look at filing for for him as a dependent.

 

6 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Really?  I'm surprised he could be classified as a dependent, as in that scenario he would be an unrelated person on a non-immigrant visa.

I'll like to understand this more. I do know you can claim an unrelated person as a dependent if they lived with you all year as a member of the household. But I think the dependent must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or resident alien. So I'm doubting op can claim fiance as a dependent using non-immigrant visa but I could be wrong. 

 

On the other hand, if op gets married only options are married filing jointly or married filing separately. Can't claim spouse as dependent when married. Spouses will be spouses on tax forms.

Edited by nastra30
Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Morocco
Timeline
Posted (edited)

He's coming in October and can not be claimed as dependent 

best for u to marry before end of December and get that SS # with his I 94 ASAP 

 

First and foremost, a dependent is someone you support: You must have provided at least half of the person’s total support for the year — food, shelter, clothing, etc.

 

 

https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/united-states/individual/foreign-tax-relief-and-tax-treaties

 

Morocco is part of tax treaty with the US so if he has 2021 income ,  she can file form 2555 to have $108,700 excluded (which no one would leave morocco if they made that much money )

Edited by JeanneAdil
Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Algeria
Timeline
Posted
16 hours ago, nastra30 said:

 

I'll like to understand this more. I do know you can claim an unrelated person as a dependent if they lived with you all year as a member of the household. But I think the dependent must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or resident alien. So I'm doubting op can claim fiance as a dependent using non-immigrant visa but I could be wrong. 

 

On the other hand, if op gets married only options are married filing jointly or married filing separately. Can't claim spouse as dependent when married. Spouses will be spouses on tax forms.

Yes. I believe you are absolutely correct.  There are very strict guidelines for filing for an adult as a dependent on your tax return. 

It would be much more beneficial for the couple to get married and file a joint tax return as married. 

The best scenario is op gets married within the time frame and file a tax return jointly. The benefits of getting married and filing as "married" far outweigh trying the incredibly difficult standard of filing for a dependent (which the beneficiary will not meet). 

Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Algeria
Timeline
Posted
22 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Really?  I'm surprised he could be classified as a dependent, as in that scenario he would be an unrelated person on a non-immigrant visa.

I understand what you are saying and agree. It is a very complicated tax question that would be better answered by a CPA or tax professional. But since there is only a 90 day time frame to get married on a k1 the question of dependency is pretty much moot. (The timeline for a dependent is much longer)

 
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