Tax return 2012

[Jordandawg05 13]

Hi all -

i am trying to fill out my tax return for 2012 and i need some help.

my wife worked in Jordan for 7 months until we got married in Jordan then she left to be with me in end of July. She hasn't worked this past year as she was on a visiting visa and now we just got her EAD few weeks ago as we got approved for a GC.

so since we got married last year i am going to file married and file jointly to maxmiuze deduction. IS there anything else i need to do or something special with this first year filling as married? I do have her social and entered that into Turbo Tax ( thats what i've been usign for several years).

Thanks,

[Pitaya 2,577]

Hi all -

i am trying to fill out my tax return for 2012 and i need some help.

my wife worked in Jordan for 7 months until we got married in Jordan then she left to be with me in end of July. She hasn't worked this past year as she was on a visiting visa and now we just got her EAD few weeks ago as we got approved for a GC.

so since we got married last year i am going to file married and file jointly to maxmiuze deduction. IS there anything else i need to do or something special with this first year filling as married? I do have her social and entered that into Turbo Tax ( thats what i've been usign for several years).

Thanks,

Nothing special, "MFJ" filing status should save you some money. Include any and all income reported for either of you on Form W-2s, 1099s, etc.

We just filed our first MFJ return, very simple. The hardest part was that we couldn't e-file due to government glitch with education credit forms.

Good luck.

[Jordandawg05 13]

Nothing special, "MFJ" filing status should save you some money. Include any and all income reported for either of you on Form W-2s, 1099s, etc.

We just filed our first MFJ return, very simple. The hardest part was that we couldn't e-file due to government glitch with education credit forms.

Good luck.

i don't think she has any 'forms' from her previous work( in jordan), is this going to matter? i am sure i can find her exact amount she got paid and thats the info i currently have.

so i just need to find how to add what she made on turbo tax and finish filing jointly...i'll take a look and report back

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You'll need a foreign income exclusion form, I believe it's called. You have to report her income and the tax paid on it but monetarily it should work out the same, in the end, just more paperwork.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

i don't think she has any 'forms' from her previous work( in jordan), is this going to matter? i am sure i can find her exact amount she got paid and thats the info i currently have.

so i just need to find how to add what she made on turbo tax and finish filing jointly...i'll take a look and report back

There is a thread I started for how to file with TurboTax, foreign income exclusion, etc., http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/412125-turbotax-help-for-joint-filing-2012/

The foreign income is self-reported and converted to US dollars. You don't need any paperwork from the foreign country. It will make a slight difference over filing MFJ without the foreign income, but that is the only way to correctly/legally file jointly. Your other option is Married Filing Separately for the USC and nothing filed for the immigrant who didn't earn money in the US in 2012. Claiming the foreign income MFJ will almost always work out better than MFS.

[Jordandawg05 13]

There is a thread I started for how to file with TurboTax, foreign income exclusion, etc., http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/412125-turbotax-help-for-joint-filing-2012/

The foreign income is self-reported and converted to US dollars. You don't need any paperwork from the foreign country. It will make a slight difference over filing MFJ without the foreign income, but that is the only way to correctly/legally file jointly. Your other option is Married Filing Separately for the USC and nothing filed for the immigrant who didn't earn money in the US in 2012. Claiming the foreign income MFJ will almost always work out better than MFS.

Thanks , i'll check the thread - i did initially file on turbo tax as married file seperately and it didn't come even close to what i was getting back when i switched it to MFJ. i'll check the thread and see how i can self report it on Turbo Tax ...the wify is ready to get some extra cash ahahh

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thanks , i'll check the thread - i did initially file on turbo tax as married file seperately and it didn't come even close to what i was getting back when i switched it to MFJ. i'll check the thread and see how i can self report it on Turbo Tax ...the wify is ready to get some extra cash ahahh

There is an explanation in the thread of why MFJ with Foreign Income is usually more than MFJ no Foreign Income. The IRS doesn't completely ignore it, but it's better than the alternative of Married Filing Separately.

It just asks "how much foreign income", but no documentation similar to a w2 is mailed in. Oanda,com has historical conversion rates to use for conversion. Just keep notes of what you reported and the conversion rate used in your files as backup in case of audit. And do check to see if Jordan has a tax treaty with the US. There is a link.

[Jordandawg05 13]

There is an explanation in the thread of why MFJ with Foreign Income is usually more than MFJ no Foreign Income. The IRS doesn't completely ignore it, but it's better than the alternative of Married Filing Separately.

It just asks "how much foreign income", but no documentation similar to a w2 is mailed in. Oanda,com has historical conversion rates to use for conversion. Just keep notes of what you reported and the conversion rate used in your files as backup in case of audit. And do check to see if Jordan has a tax treaty with the US. There is a link.

It doesn't seem that Jordan has a treaty - i put 'no' in turbo tax - is this goign to effect anything? i think the rest of the instructions are a bit different.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Jordandawg05

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

It doesn't seem that Jordan has a treaty - i put 'no' in turbo tax - is this goign to effect anything? i think the rest of the instructions are a bit different.

Here's what the IRS says http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Foreign-Earned-Income-Exclusion---Can-I-Claim-the-Exclusion-or-Deduction%3F

I think you can still take the exclusion, even with no treaty.

[Jordandawg05 13]

Here's what the IRS says http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Foreign-Earned-Income-Exclusion---Can-I-Claim-the-Exclusion-or-Deduction%3F

I think you can still take the exclusion, even with no treaty.

Thanks, according to those questions, we do qualify for that.

I do want to check my logic on the last question 5 on the link. it stats have been in a foreign country for 330 days at any consecutive period and i said yes cause my wife lived all her life in Jordan until we got married and moved in July.

so it seems i can check 'yes' on turbo tax and proceed with your instructions. Correct?

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thanks, according to those questions, we do qualify for that.

I do want to check my logic on the last question 5 on the link. it stats have been in a foreign country for 330 days at any consecutive period and i said yes cause my wife lived all her life in Jordan until we got married and moved in July.

so it seems i can check 'yes' on turbo tax and proceed with your instructions. Correct?

Correct. She also qualifies on #4 (bonafide resident). Either of those qualifies her. She was a resident of Jordan for her whole life. The foreign country is Jordan, not the US. Some people get that confused. Also read the posts from today because TurboTax gives an error if you don't say visa type: Other>None and then Unlimited. It doesn't affect the correctness to leave blank but TurboTax balks at it.

[Jordandawg05 13]

Thanks, can you show me where in the IRS rules state that you have to declare your global income? wify is not convinced that she has to declare her income from Jordan.

[Jordandawg05 13]

Somehow when I entered what she made , it reduced my refund by 200 or 300 dollars - I thought her wages are excluded ?? I missing something ?

[rehtse 1]

From your timeline, your wife is still in AOS process as of 2012. Same case with me but someone said my hubby need to file manually since we need to attach an statement both sign by us stating that I will be consider as resident alien for tax purposes. Just wondering if we can just skip it and do it online just like what you did.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Somehow when I entered what she made , it reduced my refund by 200 or 300 dollars - I thought her wages are excluded ?? I missing something ?

Scroll up to post 7 of this thread. I told you about that. The long explanation is in the other thread.

IRS publication 519 http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p519.pdf see page 9 Choosing Resident Alien Status explains that even though she is a non-resident alien to the IRS (no greencard in 2012) she can be treated as a resident alien for tax purposes for the entire year. There are people on work visas that are non-resident aliens and file a 1040-NR instead of 1040 (different rules) because they earned money in the US. A NR alien can't file a joint return with a resident alien because the money is taxed differently. But if you are married to a USC, you get to be a resident alien for tax purposes if you declare you wish for her to be treated that way. Otherwise no joint filing.

Now read the first thing in column 3 of page 9

If you make this choice, the following rules apply.

• You and your spouse are treated as U.S. residents for the entire year for income tax purposes.

• You and your spouse are taxed on world- wide income.

• You and your spouse must file a joint re- turn for the year of the choice.

• Neither you nor your spouse can make this choice for any later tax year, even if you are separated, divorced, or remarried.

• The special instructions and restrictions for dual-status taxpayers in chapter 6 do not apply to you.

You can read the whole publication 519 for details. I actually printed out the whole thing and read it 3 times and highlighted parts before it made sense the year my husband came. If you choose to make the election for resident alien, then ignore all the chapters dealing with NR aliens because even though to immigration she doesn't have a greencard (permanent residency) the IRS goes by the resident rules for tax purposes. There is also a physical presence test if she spent a certain number of days in the US. See page 5.

Also Pub. 54 has information for Aliens. Maybe you will come up with something different for your specific situation and the length of time she has been here.