topic Married to foreign citizen, no social security number in Deductions & credits

Married to foreign citizen, no social security number

martin42483 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 00:46:21 GMT

How can I continue to file as newly married if it is requiring a social security number for my spouse and they are a foreign citizen?

If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you will generall...

Opus 17 — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 00:46:23 GMT

If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you will generally file using "married filing separately." You can't e-file without the SSN or ITIN, so print your return and mail it in and write "NRA" in the space for their tax number.

If your spouse is a resident alien, you can file separately or jointly. If separately, print your return and write in "NRA". If filing jointly, print your return, leave the space for their SSN blank, and attach a W-7 form to your return to request an ITIN, and mail them in together.

If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you have the option to declare them a resident alien for tax purposes. This means you can file jointly, which has lower tax rates and better deductions than married filing separately. But it also means you must report and pay tax on your spouse's world-wide income (subject to a credit for foreign taxes paid.) If your spouse has low or no income this may save you money, but if they have high income it may cost you more in taxes. See the links below for more information.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxation-of-nonresident-aliens

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/determining-alien-tax-status

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf

Re: If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you will generall...

Cdco — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 22:27:25 GMT

That information is helpful, thank you. However, I would like to see TurboTax make provision for the condition where the taxpayer has a non-resident alien spouse without a social security number and enable the return to be e-filed! It seems to me that this would not a big programming problem for the developers. I've noted this concern to TurboTax several times but it never gets taken care of.

Re: If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you will generall...

Critter — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 23:33:31 GMT

This is not a Turbotax limitation ... it is an IRS rule so you will never be able to efile with NRA in the spouse's SS# area.

Re: If your spouse is a non-resident alien, you will generall...

leifeliassen — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 22:33:21 GMT

I agree with Cdco because I've run into the exact same issue!