U.S. Tax Filing as a Canadian Resident Working in the U.S

[owkhalaf]

I am a Canadian citizen living in Canada, and I cross the border daily to work in the United States. This is my first time filing U.S. taxes, and I have the following questions:

1. When asked about household filing status, should I choose “plan to file separately,” since my wife lives with me in Canada?

2. In the personal information section, when asked about my spouse and dependents’ SSN, I do not have SSNs for them because I am the only one working in the U.S. Should I leave those fields blank?

3. Where do I report my 401(k) contributions?

4. If I am eligible for a refund, how will I receive it?

Thank you for your assistance.

[MarilynG1]

Yes, choose Filing Separately.  You can leave out your Spouse/Children's info.

If you received a W-2 form, your 401K contributions will show in Box 12, with a Code D.  When you enter your W-2 in TurboTax, the program automatically calculates a deduction for you.

Give your correct mailing address in the Personal Info section to receive a check by mail.  You can elect Direct Deposit in the FILE section and give your bank routing/account numbers if you have a US bank account.  You also need a US credit/debit card to pay for your return, unless you choose 'Pay from Refund'. 

Here's more info on Efiling With Foreign Address.

@owkhalaf 

[owkhalaf]

Thank you for your reply. Everything is clear now.

However, when I reach the e-filing step, the system asks me to fix errors related to the missing SSNs for my wife and children in the review section before the final submission.

Can I enter zeros or “N/A,” or do I need to file by mail if I cannot fix these errors?

[AmyC]

Two issues:

1. You will need an ITIN (individual taxpayer identification number) for the wife and kids. You can file a W7 for the ITINs with your return.

2. Are you a citizen of Canada or Canada and US, since this affects which return you file.

• US citizen - continue filing with us and add the W7.
• If you are not a US citizen, you need to file 1040NR with Sprintax.

[owkhalaf]

Thanks again ! I am not a US citizen. Can I still send it by mail? Or I have to file it with Sprintax. 

[DaveF1006]

Yes. You can send the return by mail. It'd need to be a 1040NR return. You can also file it electronically with SprintTax.