makagon_s
New Member

Hi, SSN is required field for my wife. But her visa status is H4 so she doesn't have SSN. How should I fill in SSN number field for her?

 
LinaJ2018
Intuit Alumni

Get your taxes done using TurboTax

You should leave it blank.  

You might need to apply for an ITIN for her.  Per IRS, if your spouse is a nonresident alien, he or she must have either an SSN or ITIN  if  :

1.  You file a joint return or

2.  You file a separate return and claim an exemption for your spouse, or

3.  Your spouse is filing a separate return.

For filing status, you can file either Married Filing Jointly ( see  Nonresident to resident  ) or simply Married Filing Separate.

[ In the TurboTax program, you would follow the step-by-step interview questions to choose the appropriate filing status, enter your spouse information and leave the SSN blank, after print out the return , you can leave it blank or hand-write APPLIED in the space.]

If you want to file Married Filing Separate, you can qualify for an exemption for your spouse only if:

 - Your spouse had no gross income.

-- Your spouse won't file a tax return.

 - Your spouse didn't qualify as the dependent of another taxpayer.

Additionally, you cannot e-file a tax return which does not include a SSN or ITIN.  If you fall under one of the above conditions, you will have to manually apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number ITIN on Form W-7 for her.  

See https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/General-ITIN-Information.   

Although you cannot e-file, you can still use the TurboTax program to prepare your tax return and required forms. Then print, attach to the Form W-7 with the required documentation ( see the above link ) and submit everything to the IRS Austin location in Texas by mail.