Foreign Spouse- No SSN

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I have lived in a foreign country for over a decade. This year I got married to a foreign person with no SSN. We have no US income. I am trying to file separately, but they want my husband's SSN. He will never have one and we never plan to live in the US. What number do I put in for the SSN?

TurboTax Premier Online

DoninGA

Level 15

Using TurboTax when asked to provide the spouse's Social Security number either enter all 9's or your Social Security number and change the last 4 digits.

Since your spouse does not have a Social Security number or an ITIN and you are not applying for an ITIN, you will have to file as Married Filing Separately. You can only print and mail your tax return, it cannot be e-filed. After printing your tax return, you will have to erase or white-out the erroneous Social Security number entered for the spouse on Form 1040. In the box for the spouse's SS number write in NRA (non-resident alien).

daltonbradleyAuthor

Level 2

I'm really glad I did NOT listen to this advice. According to the IRS website it is NOT possible to write in "NRA" or "non-resident alien" anymore- you MUST get your spouse an ITIN number. This involves a 7-week wait and a certified copy of your spouse's passport (apparently), which in turn involves a trip to the US embassy and $50 payment to notarize. <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/general-itin-information">https://www.irs.gov/individuals/general-itin-information</a>