Parent information on Form 8615

Are you a U.S. citizen or resident alien? If you are a nonresident alien, you cannot use TurboTax to file your tax return.

The IRS apparently never considered the possibility of a U.S. citizen or resident alien who is required to file Form 8615, but whose parents are foreign. They do not provide any instructions or guidance for this situation. I don't have a good answer for you. Several of the community Champions discussed this a few years ago. Here's the best solution we could come up with.

When TurboTax asks whether your parents are filing a joint tax return for 2024, answer Yes, even though they aren't. When it asks for your parents' taxable income, enter zero. That is true, since they have no U.S. taxable income. Leave all the other income questions blank. Also leave your parent's Social Security Number blank. When the error check tells you that the SSN must be entered, just click Continue. You will not be able to e-file. Print the tax return. In the space for the parent's Social Security number on Form 8615, write NRA (for NonResident Alien). Sign the tax return and file it by mail.

Let me get you past that form. Since your parents do not have taxable US income, their tax rate is zero percent. The only workaround I can think of sounds awful, I apologize, if you mark that both parents are deceased, the program will let you pass without the form.

The program will ask if you have at least one parent living, select no.

Wishing your parents a long and healthy life.

That's what I read on another post, and was wondering if there was a more up to date solution, but it seems to be the same workaround. Thanks.

@AmyC Do you know if marking "no" for parents living status will affect me in the future when trying to file taxes? Does the IRS keep records of deceased parents?

No, it is just for the program, It doesn't go to the IRS.