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I came to USA in the last months in 2021 , so can i do tax for 2020 now ? because I'm trying to make application for FASFA and they ask me about tax2020?

In 2020, she was living at home outside America, and I came to America in 2021 at the end of the months and started working.. but I was not here in 2020. Can I file for the 2020 tax?  In the application to apply to FASFA, they ask about the year 2020, so I do not know what I should answer, will it file or not filed?
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3 Replies

I came to USA in the last months in 2021 , so can i do tax for 2020 now ? because I'm trying to make application for FASFA and they ask me about tax2020?

Please explain and provide some additional details.   We have no idea who "she" is---"she was living at home outside America"---who is "she?"    Your spouse?  Someone else?  

 

So neither you nor "she" were in the U.S. in tax year 2020?  Did you have any U.S. sourced income for tax year 2020?   If you were not in the U.S. in 2020 and had no income from the U.S. in 2020 you have no reason to file a 2020 tax return.

**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
rjs
Level 15
Level 15

I came to USA in the last months in 2021 , so can i do tax for 2020 now ? because I'm trying to make application for FASFA and they ask me about tax2020?

You do not have to file a 2020 tax return in order to answer the questions on the FAFSA. Read the FAFSA questions, and the accompanying notes or help, more carefully. First of all, it asks whether you filed a U.S. tax return "or another tax return." Select the appropriate answer. The next question asks what kind of tax return you filed. The notes say that if you filed a foreign tax return you should use the information from the foreign tax return to fill out the FAFSA, converting the amounts to U.S. dollars. If you did not file any tax return for 2020, select the answer in the first question that says you are not going to file. It will then skip the questions about your 2020 tax return.


If you have further questions, please clarify whether you are the student or the parent. However, this TurboTax Community is for help using TurboTax to file an income tax return. We can't really help you with the FAFSA. For help filling out the FAFSA, you have to go to the FAFSA Help page on the FAFSA web site.


Please note that TurboTax is for filing a Form 1040 U.S. tax return for a U.S. citizen or resident alien. If you are a nonresident alien you cannot use TurboTax. A nonresident alien has to file Form 1040-NR, which TurboTax does not support.

 

I came to USA in the last months in 2021 , so can i do tax for 2020 now ? because I'm trying to make application for FASFA and they ask me about tax2020?

If you were a non-US resident for 2020, the only reason to file a tax return is if you had income from a US source in 2020.  US-source income includes working temporarily in the US or selling real estate in the US, but it generally does not include working outside the US for a US-based company. 

 

If you are a non-resident and required to file a US tax return, you need to file a 1040-NR for 2020.  Turbotax does not support non-resident returns so you will have to find another company.

 

If you are not required to file a US return under the tax law, then you don't have to (and can't) file a US tax return just for FAFSA.  Read the instructions carefully per @rjs .   For FAFSA, they want to know your total income, so they can determine if you need financial aid.  If you had foreign income and filed a foreign tax return, use that information, not a zero dollar US return that hides your overseas income.  

 

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