I have my wife and she's not from the US. She doesn't have a SSN and can't apply for one since she's not from here. I have to file my tax return as married. What do I do?

[jose501st]

She's not from the US but lives here. We got married on December 2022 and I can't file my taxes without claiming myself as married, and I need some identification for her. Should I put my SSN or what do I do? We can't apply for a ITIN since we are still working for her citizenship and has no documentation to submit. Please help on this

[Critter-3]

If you are a US citizen or US resident and your spouse does not have a Social Security number or an ITIN and you are not applying for an ITIN with the tax return then you can only file your tax return as Married Filing Separately.  Where asked to enter the spouse's Social Security number enter 999-88-9999.  You can only print and mail your tax return, it cannot be e-filed.  When you print the tax return erase the Social Security number for your spouse and manually enter NRA for non-resident alien.

See this TurboTax support FAQ for the procedure to print and mail a tax return using the online editions - https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/1944348-how-do-i-print-and-mail-my-return-in-turbotax-online

If you decide to file your tax return as Married Filing Jointly you must apply for an ITIN with the tax return and you would need to be providing a statement with your tax return that you want your Nonresident Alien Spouse Treated as a Resident.  See IRS Publication 54 Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad page 7 - https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p54.pdf

Go to this IRS website for ITIN information - https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/general-itin-information

[jose501st]

What happens if I end up submitting it electronically? Will this also reduce my total tax return?

[Vanessa A]

Your return cannot be e-filed. You must print and mail your return. The IRS will reject your e-filed without a valid Social Security Number for your wife.  Your only option are the ones mentioned above by @Critter-3. 

If you are legally married, you must include your spouses SSN on any e-filed tax return whether you file Jointly or Separately.  You cannot choose to file as single.