Do I file my tax as single or married.I am Legal permanent resident married?

Question

I am Legal Permanent Resident , married . My wife is based outside United States(Foreign Country), she doenst have social security number. I am responsible for her upkeep as shes not working. Should i file my tax as single, or married filling jointly(wife not working) or married filing seaprately.

Answer 1

Does she have an ITIN number, does she quality for an ITIN?
An ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a tax processing number only available for certain nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses, and dependents who cannot get a Social Security Number (SSN). It is a 9-digit number, beginning with the number "9", formatted like an SSN (NNN-NN-NNNN).

To obtain an ITIN, you must complete IRS Form W-7, IRS Application for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (PDF) . The Form W-7 requires documentation substantiating foreign/alien status and true identity for each individual. You may either mail the documentation, along with the Form W-7, to the address shown in the Form W-7 Instructions, present it at IRS walk-in offices, or process your application through an Acceptance Agent authorized by the IRS. Form W-7(SP), Solicitud de Número de Identificación Personal del Contribuyente del Servicio de Impuestos Internos (PDF) is available for use by Spanish speakers.

Acceptance Agents are entities (colleges, financial institutions, accounting firms, etc.) who are authorized by the IRS to assist applicants in obtaining ITINs. They review the applicant's documentation and forward the completed Form W-7 to IRS for processing.

NOTE: You cannot claim the earned income credit using an ITIN.

Foreign persons who are individuals should apply for a social security number (SSN, if permitted) on Form SS-5 with the Social Security Administration, or should apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) on Form W-7. Effective immediately, each ITIN applicant must now:

Apply using the revised Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number; and
Attach a federal income tax return to the Form W-7.
Applicants who meet an exception to the requirement to file a tax return (see the instructions for Form W-7) must provide documentation to support the exception.

New W-7/ITIN rules were issued on December 17, 2003. For a summary of those rules, please see the new Form W-7 and its instructions.



Call the Internal Revenue Service for more information at
1-800-829-1040

Answer 2

Married of course. You could get in trouble for fraud if you say single.

You may be able to claim her as a dependent, if you send money back home (and get a tax refund). But I'd ask an accountant first, so you don't get into any trouble. If you're not living together, there can be complications and extra forms to fill out.

There should be a phone number to call on the tax forms.

Answer 3

I would file married because you will get a bigger deduction. You could also probably file married seperate because she doesn't work and is in a foreign country