Tax return or transcripts?

[Soup Dragon 104]

Hi

 

I have an ongoing 'discussion' with my husband about whether to submit tax returns or transcripts.  

 

Shall I submit tax returns and/or transcripts with my ROC package?    We have joint tax returns for the last three years plus we filed joint state taxes.

 

I have read on VJ it's better to file the transcripts, can someone please explain why?

 

Thank you

[KULtoATL 1,551]

Transcripts have the full information. 

 

W-2 shows the income earned by a person.

 

1040 is submitted to IRS to pay federal taxes.

[G Walters 136]

Tax transcripts is preferred. Why. Less paperwork. When returns are submitted it has be the whole return with all schedules and attachments. There is more to get lost in the sorting of the package. The transcript is 2 to 3 pages with all the need in there certified by the irs. Few things to get lost and for them to have to look at.

 

[charmander 692]

Tax returns (turbo tax, hr block, etc) shows what you filed, IRS transcripts are the official confirmation of what you filed. That's why IRS transcripts are better. However, when I filed my ROC almost 2 years ago, I had no idea what the heck is a tax transcript and sent our H&R block returns (even without copies of W2s). I passed through without any RFE but had I encountered RFE, it would have potentially cost me another 3-4 months because I was a Vermont Service Center filer.

 

IRS transcripts are so easy to get. You could get them same day at local IRS office, if you go and ask for a copy online, you'll get them in the mail during next week.

 

Besides USCIS specifically asks for IRS transcripts for N400 applicants, so you will use them in the future again if you're planning to naturalize.

[Soup Dragon 104]

1 minute ago, charmander said:

Tax returns (turbo tax, hr block, etc) shows what you filed, IRS transcripts are the official confirmation of what you filed. That's why IRS transcripts are better. However, when I filed my ROC almost 2 years ago, I had no idea what the heck is a tax transcript and sent our H&R block returns (even without copies of W2s). I passed through without any RFE but had I encountered RFE, it would have potentially cost me another 3-4 months because I was a Vermont Service Center filer.

 

IRS transcripts are so easy to get. You could get them same day at local IRS office, if you go and ask for a copy online, you'll get them in the mail during next week.

 

Besides USCIS specifically asks for IRS transcripts for N400 applicants, so you will use them in the future again if you're planning to naturalize.

Thank you!  

 

I will get my husband to order them online.  I hope they don't take too long as we are living in Germany.  I am working on getting my package mailed over the next weeks.  

 

If I don't get the transcripts in time do you think tax returns and W2's will be acceptable instead?

[bolin786 21]

transcript

 

[charmander 692]

1 minute ago, Sunflower18 said:

Thank you!  

 

I will get my husband to order them online.  I hope they don't take too long as we are living in Germany.  I am working on getting my package mailed over the next weeks.  

 

If I don't get the transcripts in time do you think tax returns and W2's will be acceptable instead?

Yes, as I said I went through with our H&R block returns and I didn't even send our W2s. But an RFE shouldn't shock you guys either. It depends how the officer handling your case feels about these things.

 

If you have time try to get transcripts, if you absolutely don't have time and need to file, go with tax returns+W2s.

[lucybelle 453]

Transcripts normally take under a week from request to arrival within the USA.  If you are having them mailed to someone in the USA and then forwarded to you I assume it would only be a few days longer (if you mail with DHL from US to Germany).

[bolin786 21]

Quote

 

Let me illustrate this answer. You can submit a fraudulent IRS Tax return that looks original but is fake.  A transcript is an acknowledgement by the IRS that you file for sure with them a return.  One is oficial and the other could be bogus.  That is why they prefer a transcript from the IRS.

[Derwood 202]

You can download tax transcripts online and print them off on the same day. You have to sign up on the IRS website which is a bit of a pain but once you have done it, you can get the transcripts immediately.

[charmander 692]

19 minutes ago, Derwood said:

You can download tax transcripts online and print them off on the same day. You have to sign up on the IRS website which is a bit of a pain but once you have done it, you can get the transcripts immediately.

I don't know why but that online service didn't work for us so far. I've tried it just to get a copy of our 2016 returns. My wife is the main filer hence trying to register with my information didn't go through at all. When we tried with her information, the system couldn't confirm her  phone number we had on file (for the records she owns the same phone number for the last 11 years). It said they would send us some information on how to register in the mail. This was almost two weeks ago, nothing showed up so far. Meantime, I ordered the transcripts using the mail option and 5 days later they showed up in the mailbox.

 

[Derwood 202]

1 minute ago, charmander said:

I don't know why but that online service didn't work for us so far. I've tried it just to get a copy of our 2016 returns. My wife is the main filer hence trying to register with my information didn't go through at all. When we tried with her information, the system couldn't confirm her  phone number we had on file (for the records she owns the same phone number for the last 11 years). It said they would send us some information on how to register in the mail. This was almost two weeks ago, nothing showed up so far. Meantime, I ordered the transcripts using the mail option and 5 days later they showed up in the mailbox.

 

We had exactly the same thing happen. The letter did come eventually. I thought it was just a problem for us!

[Unlockable 7,306]

1 hour ago, Derwood said:

You can download tax transcripts online and print them off on the same day. You have to sign up on the IRS website which is a bit of a pain but once you have done it, you can get the transcripts immediately.

 

1 hour ago, charmander said:

I don't know why but that online service didn't work for us so far. I've tried it just to get a copy of our 2016 returns.

 

 

1 hour ago, Derwood said:

We had exactly the same thing happen. The letter did come eventually. I thought it was just a problem for us!

This was once an option in the past but IRS has since removed it. I remember using the download transcripts feature a few years ago. Don't know what prompted them to get rid of it. It was a nice feature to have.

[Derwood 202]

26 minutes ago, NuestraUnion said:

 

 

This was once an option in the past but IRS has since removed it. I remember using the download transcripts feature a few years ago. Don't know what prompted them to get rid of it. It was a nice feature to have.

I used the facility three days ago. It's back!

[FROWNcat 22]

I'd include tax transcripts, that's what we did and they were really easy to obtain. It took under 10 days for us to receive them in the mail.