You have two options.
If you want to file jointly, you would need to make an election to claim your nonresident spouse as a resident. Click here Nonresident to resident You are required to report worldwide income from both of you and your spouse. Without your spouse's SSN or ITIN, you won't be able to e-file, unfortunately. IRS requires everyone on the tax return have either SSN or ITIN on the tax return. You might want to apply for an ITIN. In that case, you will have to file a Form W-7 for the ITIN and your taxes simultaneously with TurboTax program:
-In the program, as you enter the information, leave the SSN space blank
-After entering all your information, print out returns and required forms ( write APPLIED in the SSN space)
-As TurboTax does not support the Form W-7, fill out the forms by following
https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/General-ITIN-Information and attach to other required documentation
-Submit everything including your tax forms to IRS Austin location in Texas. ( Form W-7 instructions)
Or you can file Married Filing Separately. You only need to report your own information and share of income ( Your spouse remains as a nonresident). You would not need to apply for ITIN for your spouse. But you will not able to e-file either. You can still use the program to prepare the tax forms but will have to submit by mail.
To file separately without the SSN or ITIN:
- In the program, leave the SSN space blank
- After completing the return, print out the forms. Write “NRA” in the spouse's SSN space. ( NRA stands for Nonresident Alien). Do not leave the space blank.
- Submit all the forms and required documents to IRS based on the instructions on your print-out.
To see the advantages and disadvantages of MFJ and MFS, click here: MFJ vs MFS
If you want to see the difference in result between the two filing statuses, I would suggest you use the desktop version instead of the online. The desktop version allows you a feature for comparison. Click here: Comparisons
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