Kpone

20 hours ago, nastra30 said:

I assume your wife is not a US citizen (but a non-resident) that's why she doesn't have SSN? And for US tax purposes you want to consider her as a 'US resident for US tax purposes? Correct?

 

1. You won't be able to e-file because wife doesn't have SSN/ITIN. You have to paper file.

2. One filing option for you is Married Filing Separate (MFS). Just put NRA (non-resident alien) under your wife's SSN. With this option, it isn't necessary to get ITIN for your wife. But if she still wants to she can file W-7 at a later time/any time. Unfortunately, you won't be to e-file in subsequent years until she has SSN/ITIN.

3. Another option is to file Married Filing Jointly (MFJ). Put NRA or ITIN requested under SSN. Since you'll be filling jointly, you'll have to submit ITIN request form W-7 concurrently with your tax return. IRS will issue ITIN and process your tax return at the same time.

4. Since you are a US citizen living abroad you get 2 months automatic extension to file your taxes. So your deadline will be June 15th. However, you must pay IRS any taxes owned by April 15th or you'll be slapped with interest until it's paid. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayers-living-abroad

5. If you are concerned about not mailing on time then here's the general rule from IRS: "Your return is considered filed on time if the envelope is properly addressed, has enough postage, is postmarked, and is deposited in the mail by the due date." https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc301

6. You can submit ITIN W-7 abroad through a Certifying Acceptance Agent. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/obtaining-an-itin-from-abroad

Browse the IRS site and read W-7 instructions for more details.

6. Don't forget FBAR filing.

Thank you for this helpful info! 

I realize I have to do a paper file without an ITIN. I plan to file MFS, but I still won't be able to e-file I suppose. 

I posted this in the DCF forum because I am worried about the timeline. 

I only need to submit the I-130 for my interview, and then my wife will submit the i-864 at her interview at the embassy...

I assume the US tax returns and joint sponsor's are required only for filing the i-864, but if I paper file my 2018 taxes, it will take a long time to process with the IRS...

Does anyone have information about delayed beneficiary interview due to i-864 preparation delays? 

Many many thanks in advance! 

Hello all,

I am currently trying to file my 2018 taxes on income earned exclusively in Japan via TurboTax. 

Both my wife and I have been living in Japan earning JPyen only and Japan is our "tax home"... but in order to e-file my taxes, I need to enter either a SSN or and ITIN number for my wife even though we would file separately. 

The application for ITIN takes 7 weeks, and won't be provided in time to e-file my taxes. 

Does anyone have a similar experience? Obtaining an ITIN in a foreign country? 

My other option is filing 2018 taxes by paper without an ITIN number, but I'm concerned about the taxes being filed in time. 

I'm wondering if I could Streamline File for 2018 given the circumstances.

Any help is greatly appreciated! 

Thank you to everyone who has replied! 

I realise that the past three years of tax returns are required for both myself and my sponsor.

I will be filing via the Streamlined Filing procedure with the IRS. 

My question is whether my sponsor (located in the U.S.) is required to submit 'official' copies of tax returns, or can it be a faxed/ scanned  printed out copies of 'official' tax returns? 

As it has been a while since I filed U.S. returns, I can't recall whether there are 'official', sealed documents. 

Any further help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Wow, thank you all for your generous input! 

48 minutes ago, nativeson said:

Regarding DCF, my guess is they don't have many Japanese eager to lose their health care and deal with crime so the US embassy is not busy at the moment

Nativeson, is this a good or bad thing? Idle hands = ? 

At any rate, may I ask ballpark what your joint assets amounted to? PM me if you're willing  

To all, I'm planning on having a joint sponsor ready just in case. 

My next step is contacting the IRS. Two of my previous year's earnings in Japan were rather low as I had been relying on savings plus my wife's income. Is it necessary to provide previous three years of taxes, or is the previous year (2017-18) sufficient? 

Finally, I have found controdicting info about joint filer's required documents: Will copies of most recent tax return suffice, or does the joint sponsor need to also provide the past three years of tax returns? 

Thank you all for your great help! 

Such a big help! 

So if there is approx. 60,000 USD in combined assets (between me and my wife), would there be no need for a joint sponsor provided my tax returns have been filed for the past three years? 

Thank you again! 

Thanks for the info! 

So when I file the past three years of US tax returns, will my Japanese income be reflected? Or will my income effectively be 0?

Also, if my bank account acts as an asset, in order to meet the poverty minimum, does that mean that my reported income is "0" (in US) and I would need to meet 5x the poverty annual income (i.e. bank account balance). 

Thank you for the replies.

@aaron2020 : Yes, my Japanese income will end after I return to the US. In this case, can the Joint Sponsor be my wife, who is currently and will continue to earn a Japanese income after I return to the US? FYI, my income was higher than my wife's, though I believe her income will meet the 125% above poverty line requirement. 

When you say, "irrelevant", does that mean my Japanese income for the past three years plus supplemental bank account information won't be considered? 

If I file a late US tax return for this past year declaring my Japanese income, it would be under 100,000 USD. 

Thanks for your help! 

Hello all,

We have been pre-approved for a DCF filing in Japan. I (the petitioner/ U.S. citizen) have been given an interview appointment at the Tokyo embassy. This came as a surprise because all the literature I've read said that the beneficiary (Japanese citizen) was required to attend an interview at the Tokyo embassy. 

Has anyone else been in this situation? 

Also, regarding the I-864 form: I have been living and working in Japan for 3.5 years and have only been paying taxes in Japan (as my income has exclusively been in JPY, from Japan).

On the I-864 information page it says that a Japanese income tax return is insufficient for application. I have received $0.00 income in USD or JPY from the U.S for the past 3.5 years. 

I would greatly appreciate any tips or suggestions regarding my situation, esp. the lack of U.S. tax return. 

Thank you in advance!