Filing joint 2008 taxes???

[Svetlana 0]

Is anyone thinking of filing joint taxes for 2008?

My husband is still in Russia but I'm in US.

Do you know what documents I'd need? W7?

Thanks!

[Old Dominion 26]

Your husband has no legal standing in the U.S. yet. To file jointly, he would need to obtain a SSN or a TIN but he is not eligible.

[Svetlana 0]

Your husband has no legal standing in the U.S. yet. To file jointly, he would need to obtain a SSN or a TIN but he is not eligible.

Thank you.

Someone told me to send W-7 to IRS to get his Tax ID.

May be I was wrong with my question.

I just care about to file my taxes as a married.

[queuedup 1]

I plan on filing as married but filing separately...this way you do not have to list your significant others SSN or TIN.

[desert_fox 32]

I plan on filing as married but filing separately...this way you do not have to list your significant others SSN or TIN.

if you are married, your choices are limited. If you file separately (not smart), then they expect a similar return fromn your spouse.

You cannot file as single, if you are married.

[queuedup 1]

what else would you recommend??

[eng_ashraf12 0]

So, what is the best way to do it then?

[Dan & Juan 12]

So, what is the best way to do it then?

Yes My head is spinning about this issue. I was married in 2008 so I have to claim married. But then I see someone says file married filing separately, but then she has to file a tax return for USA, she has never set foot in USA earned any money in USA and currently works in China exclusively. She does not have a Tax number, cannot get a social security number etc. So ultimately do I have to consult my immigration attorney or does someone here actually know hey I filed this way in 2007 and it was cool., or I am filing 2008 exactly this way?

I have seen the subject come up a lot here but I have never gotten a definitive answer for my situation, which seems common but really i see answers all around the subject but many conflict or just don't have good sense in my mind.

. Thanks everyone this forum is a great resource and a lot of very sincere people I really appreciate!

Dan

[Panther 0]

Is anyone thinking of filing joint taxes for 2008?

My husband is still in Russia but I'm in US.

Do you know what documents I'd need? W7?

Thanks!

Hello Svetlana, you have the option to file jointly even though your spouse is neither a citizen nor a legal resident. There is such a thing called "Non resident spouse treated as a resident" which requires you to obtain a tax ID for your spouse i.e. file w7. Read here for more details:

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p519/ch01.html#d0e1603

Edited January 20, 2009 by Panther

[Svetlana 0]

Is anyone thinking of filing joint taxes for 2008?

My husband is still in Russia but I'm in US.

Do you know what documents I'd need? W7?

Thanks!

Hello Svetlana, you have the option to file jointly even though your spouse is neither a citizen nor a legal resident. There is such a thing called "Non resident spouse treated as a resident" which requires you to obtain a tax ID for your spouse i.e. file w7. Read here for more details:

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p519/ch01.html#d0e1603

Thank you very much! This is exactly what I need.

[MMW 2]

So, what is the best way to do it then?

Yes My head is spinning about this issue. I was married in 2008 so I have to claim married. But then I see someone says file married filing separately, but then she has to file a tax return for USA, she has never set foot in USA earned any money in USA and currently works in China exclusively. She does not have a Tax number, cannot get a social security number etc. So ultimately do I have to consult my immigration attorney or does someone here actually know hey I filed this way in 2007 and it was cool., or I am filing 2008 exactly this way?

I have seen the subject come up a lot here but I have never gotten a definitive answer for my situation, which seems common but really i see answers all around the subject but many conflict or just don't have good sense in my mind.

. Thanks everyone this forum is a great resource and a lot of very sincere people I really appreciate!

Dan

you can file married filing separately whether your spouse will be filing a tax return or not. It is however better to file married jointly. i did this for 2007 with my filipina wife. i enclosed a W-7 form with birth certificate and marriage contract to have her get an ITIN. this is the suggested method for several reasons. It gives you one more document for the interview (ITIN), will also eliminate questions at the interview of why you filed separately from your spouse. The only real reason for filing married separately would be if you are concerned about getting a stimulus refund because filing joint would disqualify you for the rebate. If that's not a concern then joint filing is the recommended method.

[jm&mcs 2]

I filed married filing jointly. You obtain a W-7 and the accompanying requirements. Send it all to Austin, TX or take to an IRS office. Since I did this last year, I didn't get the stimulus check. But my tax refund was huge compared to single. And since my husband is here with his SSN now, we will get the rebate this year. There is really no reason to file separately.

[Svetlana 0]

Thank you to all of you!!! I am very happy that this forum exist.

[Dan & Juan 12]

you can file married filing separately whether your spouse will be filing a tax return or not. It is however better to file married jointly. i did this for 2007 with my filipina wife. i enclosed a W-7 form with birth certificate and marriage contract to have her get an ITIN. this is the suggested method for several reasons. It gives you one more document for the interview (ITIN), will also eliminate questions at the interview of why you filed separately from your spouse. The only real reason for filing married separately would be if you are concerned about getting a stimulus refund because filing joint would disqualify you for the rebate. If that's not a concern then joint filing is the recommended method.

OK I see how this does look good for the process, of course I want to file the best way. Jointly seems like the way, however I am struggling with figuring her income, her forms etc. I reviewed a lot of the IRS site, and various tax prep forums and they use so many Acronyms and Abbreviations and what not it it is very confusing.

[rin and john 71]

Is anyone thinking of filing joint taxes for 2008?

My husband is still in Russia but I'm in US.

Do you know what documents I'd need? W7?

Thanks!

Here is a thread that covered it well:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=109

A few more recent threads:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=172369&hl=

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...c=171646&hl=

Rin and I married in Thailand in October 2006. She received her visa and arrived in the USA April 2007. I filed my 2006 return in 2007 and filed MFJ. I had to get a copy of her passport (certified/notarized at the US embassy in Bangkok) along with the W-7. Filed the W-7 along with my 1040. They are sent together to an address in Texas, an ITIN is assigned, and then the 1040 is forwarded for processing.

Whether you elect to file MFJ, MFS, or HOH will largely depend on your circumstances. Since Rin had no income, it made sense for us to file MFJ. If you and your husband elect to have him treated as a resident for tax purposes and file MFJ, then his foreign income will be included when you file your taxes (although you will be able to exclude some if not all of it depending on how much he made).