Filing taxes first time since coming to the US - Am I missing something?

[Pat2021 43]

4 minutes ago, top_secret said:

OK, I get it.  Yea, the safe harbor rule would apply.  She shouldn't file a CA return.

Ah that's good, I wasn't sure if safe harbor only applies if the work is from a US company that sends you abroad, or also from living abroad and getting a job there through a local employer / company.

 

So looks like she's in the clear, both safe harbor wise and income wise

[top_secret 2,409]

1 minute ago, Pat2021 said:

Ah that's good, I wasn't sure if safe harbor only applies if the work is from a US company that sends you abroad, or also from living abroad and getting a job there through a local employer / company.

 

So looks like she's in the clear, both safe harbor wise and income wise

She might have several other arguments that she was not a California resident too.  The wise move for most is to cut ties to California State if moving overseas.  Lots of people get a virtual mailbox in a tax free state to maintain a US address and presence for banking, voting, drivers license etc. that is NOT in California . 

[Pat2021 43]

1 hour ago, top_secret said:

She might have several other arguments that she was not a California resident too.  The wise move for most is to cut ties to California State if moving overseas.  Lots of people get a virtual mailbox in a tax free state to maintain a US address and presence for banking, voting, drivers license etc. that is NOT in California . 

Thank you. Yeah, hindsight is 20/20 as they say, originally she just went to the UK to study, didn't expect to have a job there. Oh well. She's (we're) now back in CA, so for 2023 definitely have to file state taxes!

[Mike E 11,739]

On 2/16/2023 at 4:03 PM, Pat2021 said:

For me, it asks if I'm US Citizen - No, so then it asks if I was LPR in 2022 - again No. 

 

It then says "since XXX was a nonresident Alien in 2022, XXX must file form 1040NR,

Did it really  ask if your were an LPR? What was the specific term it used?

 

 I filed joint taxes for tax year 2019, and don’t recall   TurboTax.com asking me if my wife was an LPR. 
 

Perhaps you were asked if you were a “resident alien”. That’s now a different thing from an LPR.  To the IRS and USCIS “resident alien” mean different things. 

[Pat2021 43]

On 2/22/2023 at 7:19 AM, Mike E said:

Did it really  ask if your were an LPR? What was the specific term it used?

 

 I filed joint taxes for tax year 2019, and don’t recall   TurboTax.com asking me if my wife was an LPR. 
 

Perhaps you were asked if you were a “resident alien”. That’s now a different thing from an LPR.  To the IRS and USCIS “resident alien” mean different things. 

I don't remember the exact wording as we've now filed MFS for her and not filed for me, using TaxAct. Seemed more straightforward than TurboTax. Going to file for me next year. It could've been "resident alien".