If you are a US citizen 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
How about for NY state returns??? It says i HAVE to e file but if i do the 999-88-9999 will stay there.
If the software you are using will not e-file a state tax return then NY state allows you to mail the state return. Since you must mail the federal tax return, the TurboTax software will no allow you to e-file the state return.
No no!! It allows me to e-file the state return bit please understand that I had to use a dummy SSN in order to complete the 1040 form and print it out to mail it. By doing this it also took that dummy SSN as my wifes for the state return. On the federal I used white out and now wrote NRA non resident alien. But if I want to e fil the state return I can't do it with that SSN because it is not real!! So what do I do??
The TurboTax software will not allow you to e-file the state tax return if the federal tax return has not been e-filed. On the state return you would do the same as on the federal. Print the state return for mailing and erase the dummy SSN entered and write in NRA.
Thank you, I was worried because once I printed the states return it says no handwritten entries other than a signature on this form. Once i file this will i receive anything from the IRS like a transcript or a final form?
There will be nothing sent to you by the IRS. Although you can get a free transcript of a federal tax return from the IRS at this website - <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript">https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript</a>
Did anyone get their taxes approved by writing NRA where it says spouse’s SSN?
Hello,
The inability to efile a federal return with an NRA spouse who neither has nor requires an SSN or TIN is a limitation (or deficiency) of Turbo Tax software. There is no such limitation with Tax Act's online software, for example, in whose preliminary informational questionnaire there is a specific checkbox for NRA spouses who fall into this category. I've been efiling my federal returns with them from overseas for the last several years for this very reason. Good luck.
If you spouse does not have a Social Security Number SSN or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number ITIN, you'll need to apply for one or the other before you can file your return.
If they qualify to get an SSN applying for one is easy. Go to Social Security Online, the administration's website, and search for Form SS-5. This form is the paperwork you need to fill out for a Social Security number.
If they don't qualify for an SSN then you'll need to apply for an ITIN. The IRS issues ITINs to foreign nationals and others who have federal tax reporting or filing requirements but don’t qualify for SSNs.
You can apply for an ITIN at the IRS website by downloading Form W-7.
Once again loads of conflicting information on a seemingly-simple tax topic. My wife and I both reside in Canada. I am a US citizen but she has no ties to the US. For years I have just listed her SSN as "NRA."
It seems that the IRS wants a SSN or ITIN to verify that the spouse or dependent is eligible for some tax benefit. From the 09/20/2019 W7 (ITIN Application) Instructions it appears that she does not need an ITIN:
"ITINs for spouses and dependents who reside outside of the United States. Spouses and dependents residing outside of the United States shouldn’t apply for, or renew, an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) unless they qualify for an allowable tax benefit."
and further...
"For tax years 2018 through 2025, you can’t claim a personal exemption deduction for yourself, your spouse, or your dependents."
In other words, there is no specific benefit for spouses form 2018-2025 so you shouldn't apply for or renew an ITIN. Finally, looking to the 1040 Instructions:
" Check the “Married filing separately” box at the top of Form 1040 or 1040-SR if you are married and file a separate return. Enter your spouse’s name in the entry space below the filing status checkboxes. Be sure to enter your spouse’s SSN or ITIN in the space for spouse’s SSN on Form 1040 or 1040-SR. If your spouse doesn’t have and isn’t required to have an SSN or ITIN, enter “NRA.”
So, it seems that this problem is a TurboTax limitation and that the work around is to enter "NRA" and file by mail as recommended at the top of this thread.
Yes, you cannot efile with TurboTax with no spouse SSN/ITIN you will need to print/mail in.
Very useful - Thank you. Took me a while to find this. I think Turbo Tax could have easily placed an NRA box next to the SSN and made it easy for us rather than printing erasing and then inserting NRA.
Thank you so much for that response @Taxmetodeath1. Infact after reading your post, I went through the ITIN instructions and it states the following on page-2
>>
Note. The deduction for personal exemptions was suspended
for tax years 2018 through 2025. For tax years beginning after
2017, spouses or dependents residing outside of the United
States aren’t eligible for an ITIN, unless they qualify for an
allowable tax benefit. The individual must be listed on an
attached U.S. federal tax return with the schedule or form that
applies to the allowable tax benefit. See the instructions for your
U.S. federal tax return for more information.
Hello, I am filing ITIN along with return for my spouse for the first time. We don't have ITIN before. This year would be first time we doing. I don't understand what you mean by,
"For tax years 2018 through 2025, you can’t claim a personal exemption deduction for yourself, your spouse, or your dependents."
In other words, there is no specific benefit for spouses form 2018-2025 so you shouldn't apply for or renew an ITIN. Finally, looking to the 1040 Instructions:
What does that mean in simple words. I was filing as single and now it would be married jointly. What changes will i have?
Before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, you could claim a personal exemption both for yourself and an NRA spouse who had no US source income when married filing separately. But to do so, obtention of an ITIN was required for the NRA spouse. As these personal exemptions have been eliminated (at least for tax years 2018-2025), there's currently no reason for married filing separately filers to obtain an ITIN for their NRA spouse.
Your situation is different, though, if you're choosing the married filing jointly status to file a federal return, in which case your spouse will need either an SSN or an ITIN (and be required to report worldwide income).
If you file married filing jointly, your standard deduction is $24,400 instead of $12,200 for married filing separately. However you both would have to report your worldwide income for calendar year 2019 no matter where it is earned or received.
If you wish to apply for an ITIN for your NRA spouse with your tax return,you also need to attach an election to file married filing jointly. You can find this information on page 8 of
Publication 519 under Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident.
As you will need to print and mail your return due to the statement you need to attach and the W-7 ITIN application, you can just ignore the error that there is a missing SSN as you are not e-filing. If it will not let you complete your return without a SSN, you will need to enter a 'dummy" SSN . You can use 305-44-0001. However, as soon as your return is printed, you must "white-out" the "dummy" SSN before mailing your return. You cannot e-file your return.
How do I print and mail my return in TurboTax Online?
What would happen if i forgot to erase the [social security number removed] and have filed the tax return by mail and i didn't hear anything from the IRS. Its been a year already.
You will need to contact the IRS to determine the status. The IRS has temporarily suspended the manual processing of paper returns and forms while they process stimulus payments. They are also not accepting phone calls at this time. Due to stimulus processing, the IRS has halted these services. You will have to be patient and wait for the IRS to reopen all operations and get caught up.
Does anyone know if Turbotax 2020 has a fix for the issue where returns marked with NRA in spouse SSN box (where spouse is non-resident alien) has to be mailed in and cannot be efiled? One of the posters above said that taxact allows efiling for such returns.
TurboTax follows IRS guidelines regarding NRA. When you print the tax return erase the Social Security number for your spouse and manually enter NRA for non-resident alien. To print your tax return in TurboTax please see: How do I print and mail my return in TurboTax Online?
Turbotax manifestly does not follow IRS guidelines for NRA spouses who neither need nor require an ITIN. The guidelines state explicitly to enter NRA in the SSN field for the NRA spouse in this case, which your software is incapable of doing, a bug or deficiency you are unwilling to fix. The workaround you describe is a kludge; what's more, it requires the filer to file by mail, which the IRS expressly advises against because of the inordinate delays in handling such returns, given the global pandemic of COVID-19.
Users should be aware that, whatever it shortcomings, TaxAct correctly handles the above case and will e-file married-filing-separately returns with NRA spouses without an ITIN.
I wasn't going to comment on this because etphonehomefrance said all that needed to be said. But, I keep seeing it in my inbox... the statement: "TurboTax follows IRS guidelines regarding NRA."
For whoever's actually asking this question, don't be mislead by "GloriaL". You'll end up wasting your time like I did last year. If your Spouse classifies as a Non-Resident Alien and you try to use TurboTax, there's a validation in the interface, disallowing "NRA" in replace of SSN / ITIN.
In short, use Tax Act. "NRA" is permitted electronically. Even for TaxAct however, I was forced to print and mail my PA State return.
Discerning whether your spouse should be classified as NRA, or is required to apply for ITIN, is a confusing mess in itself. So it doesn't help to mislead confused users by saying that TurboTax follows IRS guidelines regarding NRA - you throw error message and TaxAct does not. I'm sure I still have screenshots if anyone wants to see.