I-864 - Taxes Paid For The First Time In 2018

[Dundle 3]

I know there's a lot of posts about I-864 but I've searched the forum and could not find something that quite fit, so hopefully I've not made a duplicate post.

 

My wife and I are currently filling out the I-864EZ form following on from our I-130 application. In Part 5, sections 5a and 6 we are asked about her last three years of taxes. Up until September of 2018, my wife had not held employment in the United States and thus had paid no taxes. Additionally, in 2017 she lived in Ireland (where she did not hold employment, unless it's easier for us that she did). In 2019 she made well above the poverty threshold, but that leaves us with a small figure for 2018, nothing for 2017, and we cannot tick that she has filed taxes in the last three years. I understand that the poverty threshold is almost entirely based on the previous tax year, but I'm more concerned about her lack of filing.

 

Is this solved simply by adding a supporting document explaining she started work for the first time ever in September 2018? Is there anything else we can do or need to do? Will there be issues by not ticking that we have three years of taxes?

 

Thank you very much.

[Crazy Cat 39,180]

22 minutes ago, Dundle said:

I understand that the poverty threshold is almost entirely based on the previous tax year, but I'm more concerned about her lack of filing.

CURRENT income is king......not what was filed on tax forms in past years.  If she didn't file taxes, she must explain why she wasn't required to file.  It can be as simple as writing "income did not meet filing threshold for tax year 20xx". 

Be aware that US citizens/residents are required to report world-wide income if above the filing threshold.  

[Dundle 3]

2 hours ago, Lucky Cat said:

CURRENT income is king......not what was filed on tax forms in past years.  If she didn't file taxes, she must explain why she wasn't required to file.  It can be as simple as writing "income did not meet filing threshold for tax year 20xx". 

Be aware that US citizens/residents are required to report world-wide income if above the filing threshold.  

Just a short, professional note stating she had never filed taxes before 2018? If she never worked while abroad, I'm guessing it's not worth even mentioning? I really appreciate you getting back to me.

[Crazy Cat 39,180]

2 minutes ago, Dundle said:

Just a short, professional note stating she had never filed taxes before 2018? If she never worked while abroad, I'm guessing it's not worth even mentioning? I really appreciate you getting back to me.

On the I-864 she will have to indicate her income as listed on the last three year's tax forms....If she didn't file, she must explain why she wasn't required to file.....such as "No income" or "income below reporting threshold"....Just explain that she didn't file is not sufficient.

 

[pushbrk 12,092]

There is another section where she will state her current income.  That does NOT come from a tax return.  She takes her gross pay from a pay stub representing a full pay period, then multiplies that by the number of pay periods in a full year.  THAT is her current income.  If she makes a thousand a week, then her current income is 52,000.  It really is that simple.  If her annual salary is X, then her current income is X, even if she started her first job the day before completing the I-864.