This is the first tax year I have been married. We were married overseas. My wife is a foreign national and has still not gained entry to the US yet (immigration visa pending). I have a daughter with my wife. My infant daughter is a US citizen and has a US passport. Neither has a social security number or ITIN.
Would I maximize my return by filing jointly?
Do I need to report my wife's income?
If I do not file jointly, am I able to claim my wife as a dependent?
Am I able to claim my daughter as a dependent without a social security number?
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Since you were married on December 31 you have to file as Married Filing Joint (MFJ or Married Filing Separate (MFS). As a US Citizen or a Resident Alien, you have two choices in filing your taxes.
Option 1
Treat your spouse as resident alien for tax purposes. If you do this, you will need to include your spouse's worldwide income in your US tax return and it will be subject to US taxes. To do this follow these steps.
Option 2
Treat your spouse as a nonresident alien for tax purposes. You will not have to include your spouse’s non-US income on your U.S. tax return. You will have to use the filing status of Married Filing Separately.
https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Nonresident-Spouse-Treated-as-a-Resident
If everyone on the tax return has a social security number or ITIN, you should mail your return to the address listed in the 1040 instructions. Tax returns with a Form W-7 should be mailed to the Austin TX address.
There is not enough information to say whether filing jointly or separately would result in the lowest tax liability.
As mentioned above, if you file jointly, you will have to claim your wife's income.
You can never claim a spouse as a dependent, so no you cannot claim your wife.
No, you cannot claim your daughter as a dependent without a social security number. You can apply for a SSN for her, and if need be file an automatic extension for your tax return if you do not receive the SSN by April 15.
Really thorough answer, thank you very much.
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