Filing taxes when I work and pay taxes to another country.

[K-Lindahl]

I am a LPR (legal permanent resident) and I'm about to file my taxes for the first time, due to an error on my part I missed that I had to report my taxes to the US government when I live, work and pay taxes in another country. We are currently going through the rest of my family's visa application and SS numbers for my wife and our kids have been requested upon approval at the US embassy later this year. When trying to file my taxes I have to choose Married filing seperately since she is not an LPR yet and we are not claiming any deductions or credits, but I can't since she doesn't have an SSN, Do we have to request an ITIN for her or is there another solution?

I'd love to get help with this to minimise the damage me not filing yet might have caused.

Thank you in advance! 

[bine22 · Accepted solution]

If your spouse is a nonresident alien, you would enter "NRA" in the box for the SSN.

[K-Lindahl]

Unfortunately I can't enter "NRA" as my wife's SSN. thank you though.

[bine22]

You need to enter that manually after printing the return.

[K-Lindahl]

Ok, so pardon my lack of experience when it coms to this. Do I still have to print and send the return after working through all the turbotax steps? I thought that everything was handled electronically.
And just to be sure, this is not a case where we have to get her an ITIN is it?

[bine22]

You cannot efile a return with NRA in the field of the SSN/ITIN, that is a limitation set by the IRS. If you apply for an ITIN, you would still file by regular mail the year you apply for it (and if you apply late in the tax year, possibly the following year as well), but after that, you would be able to efile with the ITIN. However, you said you are in the process of getting SSNs for your wife and children, so requesting an ITIN now would not provide you any advantage and might delay the SSN applications

[K-Lindahl]

Thank you very much! this clarifies things. // Kristian