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my wife is not an American and is not in the states yet. But I pay all her expenses in her country. I'm her sole provider.

My wife doesn't work I am her sole provider
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Opus 17
Level 15
Intuit Approved! This answer has been verified for accuracy by an Intuit expert employee

my wife is not an American and is not in the states yet. But I pay all her expenses in her country. I'm her sole provider.

You still can't claim a spouse as a dependent.

 

Assuming your wife is a non-resident alien, you have two choices.  Very briefly, you can file as married filing separately and leave your wife off your tax return completely.   MFS has higher tax rates and some deductions and credits are limited.   Or, you can elect (choose) to treat your wife as a US resident for taxes, and file as married filing jointly. A joint return gives you a higher standard deduction and lower tax rates.  You must include all your wife's foreign income, no matter how small.  You will also need to apply for an ITIN -- international tax ID number for your wife -- and mail the tax return and the ITIN application to the IRS.  They will process the ITIN first and then the tax return once the ITIN is issued.  There is more here.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-spouse

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2 Replies

my wife is not an American and is not in the states yet. But I pay all her expenses in her country. I'm her sole provider.

And....what is your question?    If you are wanting to claim her as a dependent---no--a spouse can never be claimed as a dependent.

 

MY SPOUSE LIVES ABROAD AND/OR DOES NOT HAVE A SSN

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/taxation/married-person-claim-head-house...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-credits-deductions/file-taxes-spouse...

 

**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.**
Opus 17
Level 15
Intuit Approved! This answer has been verified for accuracy by an Intuit expert employee

my wife is not an American and is not in the states yet. But I pay all her expenses in her country. I'm her sole provider.

You still can't claim a spouse as a dependent.

 

Assuming your wife is a non-resident alien, you have two choices.  Very briefly, you can file as married filing separately and leave your wife off your tax return completely.   MFS has higher tax rates and some deductions and credits are limited.   Or, you can elect (choose) to treat your wife as a US resident for taxes, and file as married filing jointly. A joint return gives you a higher standard deduction and lower tax rates.  You must include all your wife's foreign income, no matter how small.  You will also need to apply for an ITIN -- international tax ID number for your wife -- and mail the tax return and the ITIN application to the IRS.  They will process the ITIN first and then the tax return once the ITIN is issued.  There is more here.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-spouse

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