Taxes 2006 - Single or Married ?

[*JG* 2]

If you file married/joint, it is my understanding that you need to provide an income statement for the foreign spouse. My wife can't get an income statement yet for her 2006 income, so I'm filing "married/separate" for 2006. I hope we will get an income statement for her '06 earnings later this year, since we can amend my '06 return and save a few thousand $$.

But we will see.

After all, its Russia.

Why would you need an income statement for her? I thought you are only paying taxes on what you earned here, in the US.

Jomo and I got married June of '06. He got a SSN in November. We filed jointly; but since he didn't have a job here at all in '06, we only used my W-2's.

[meauxna 15]

You can file as being single even if you are married if you want to, even if you have been married for a while. You file as "married, filing separately."

Which is NOT filing 'single'.

Please be careful with your answers; you have made some errors in the advice you give people this week.

[meauxna 15]

If you file married/joint, it is my understanding that you need to provide an income statement for the foreign spouse. My wife can't get an income statement yet for her 2006 income, so I'm filing "married/separate" for 2006. I hope we will get an income statement for her '06 earnings later this year, since we can amend my '06 return and save a few thousand $$.

But we will see.

After all, its Russia.

Why would you need an income statement for her? I thought you are only paying taxes on what you earned here, in the US.

Jomo and I got married June of '06. He got a SSN in November. We filed jointly; but since he didn't have a job here at all in '06, we only used my W-2's.

"Worldwide income". Welcome to America!

novotul: you can calculate your wife's foreign income yourself. IRS doesn't seem to mind thaking your word for it (ie, several of us have filed without any official statement of our spouse's foreign income). This thread might be useful: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=437772

[MandR 0]

You filed your 2006 correctly. You were single in 2006. When you file your 2007 taxes, you will be filing married. Relax you have nothing to worry about.

this is correct

[eap620 0]

Okay...let's just say "what if" you filed "single" when you were actually married 2 or 3 days before the year was over. I haven't filed my taxes yet but was just wondering what kind of impact this will make?

[mawilson 2,133]

Okay...let's just say "what if" you filed "single" when you were actually married 2 or 3 days before the year was over. I haven't filed my taxes yet but was just wondering what kind of impact this will make?

Probably none. It's illegal but I don't see how you can get caught -- the IRS have no

information about your marital status except what you tell them.

There's not much room for fraud in this area -- probably not enough to warrant the

expense of new administrative checks. Filing "married" doubles your standard deduction

and gives you some tax relief due to the slightly lower tax rates associated with joint

filing, so the IRS are probably more worried about single people filing married than

vice versa.

On the other hand, single people who itemise their deductions stand to benefit more

than married people from the tax code because with a standard deduction of $5,150

annually, a single person sees the benefits of itemised deductions (such as mortgage

interest or property taxes) before a married couple filing jointly, for whom the

standard deduction is $10,300.

The same, of course, applies to spouses who file separately but the tax rates for them

aren't as good in the upper ranges -- "married filing separate" taxpayers face the higher

tax brackets (28-, 33- and 35-percent) sooner than do single taxpayers.

To summarise, "married filing jointly" is *usually* better than "single". If only one

spouse is working, "married filing jointly" is *always* better than "single". When

working married couples make roughly equal (and generally high) incomes, they

pay more taxes on their combined return than do unmarried couples filing separate

returns as single taxpayers.

Finally, "single" seems to be always better than "married, filing separately" due to the

higher tax rates for "married filing separately" taxpayers (as well as lack of deduction

flexibility -- for example, if one spouse itemises, both must itemise.)

[lucyrich 20]

Okay...let's just say "what if" you filed "single" when you were actually married 2 or 3 days before the year was over. I haven't filed my taxes yet but was just wondering what kind of impact this will make?

Probably none. It's illegal but I don't see how you can get caught -- the IRS have no information about your marital status except what you tell them.

That's true for most couples. But for those of us on VJ, we'll most likely have to submit tax returns to immigration authorities, either as part of an affidavit of support or an eventual I-751 for removal of conditions, or both. The concern may not be so much with the IRS, but instead with immigration. When you sign your tax return with a filing status of "single", you're swearing under penalty of perjury that you're not married. But when you file the I-751, you're trying to prove to the USCIS that you're not only married, but that your marriage is bona fide. It's a little hard to reconcile swearing to one government agency that you're not married while trying to convince another that you're in a bona fide marriage.

I don't know how well the USCIS and IRS communicate, but the USCIS definitely asks for those tax returns, and at least they have the information all in one place. I don't know what the consequences might be, but I suspect it's best to be consistent in your story regarding something as basic as whether or not you're married.

[eap620 0]

Thanks to the both of you for your very helpful advice. I really appreciate it