US Taxes and E-Filing w/Non US Spouse

[douglasxwilliams]

Hello -

I am not sure if anyone here has experienced this, but I am trying to find out if I can or cannot e-file my US taxes. I am married to a non-US citizen (she is Japanese) and i was told by a friend that I cannot e-file because the US IRS does not allow e-filing that includes a Non-Resident Alien. I have checked around online and so far have not come across any info yet.

thanks!
...

[captainspoke]

Even if you cannot e-file (users of some tax software packages can complain about this), filing by mail is simple: print, sign, and send to the proper address. Use registered mail (書留郵便) and you get a nice receipt as proof of mailing.

[Tkydon]

Not my area, but if she is not a Green Card Holder, I think you can file 'Married - Filing Separately'..

[TokyoWart]

Not my area, but if she is not a Green Card Holder, I think you can file 'Married - Filing Separately'..

I think even when you file married-filing-separately the US tax return asks for a tax identifying number for the nonfiling spouse. I believe this creates the barrier for e-filing.

[douglasxwilliams]

Hi all...

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I did file "Married - Filing Separately", but that is as TokyoWart wrote, seems to be the trigger to prevent e-filing.

I will definitely use registered mail to file...as some sort of proof.

Also, i finally found a number to call the IRS..so will do that as well and report back with any updates here.

[Tkydon]

I expect you know these already, but

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/interna ... umbers-tin

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/individ ... ion-number

https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-7

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/interna ... ent-spouse

[douglasxwilliams]

Thanks Tkydon! The w-7 was something new for me.

Also, i called the IRS last night and talked to an actual human...well, he sounded human-like.....anyway, he confirmed that I have to paper file because my wife is a Non-resident alien. He mentioned the ITIN and also the w-7 as a possible route for e-filing.

[douglasxwilliams]

Even if you cannot e-file (users of some tax software packages can complain about this), filing by mail is simple: print, sign, and send to the proper address. Use registered mail (書留郵便) and you get a nice receipt as proof of mailing.

A question, is the registered mail preferable to Japan Post EMS service? I usually use the Japan Post EMS when i mail important docs back to the US. I assume the registered mail is similar, but maybe not as speedy as the EMS service. ?

[captainspoke]

Even if you cannot e-file (users of some tax software packages can complain about this), filing by mail is simple: print, sign, and send to the proper address. Use registered mail (書留郵便) and you get a nice receipt as proof of mailing.

A question, is the registered mail preferable to Japan Post EMS service? I usually use the Japan Post EMS when i mail important docs back to the US. I assume the registered mail is similar, but maybe not as speedy as the EMS service. ?

I'm not sure, since I've only ever used registered mail, never EMS. I do like the receipt that you get--the post office scans the addressee and the return address, and those images are printed on the time-dated receipt (along with the number from the bar-coded sticker that goes on the envelope). I also print the addresses and glue those on, insuring that they're extra legible both for any OCR system and for the receipts.

It's been a while, but I've read a couple complaints (on reddit)--people who claim that the IRS says it never received anything they mailed (and this was from overseas). But I've never had a problem, nor any direct reports of anyone who did.

Speed is not an issue, since you get the automatic 60 day extension, and a longer extension is just a matter of filling out a form and attaching it as a cover on the tax return. ((I used to have a limited partnership (LP) or few on the US market, and those businesses issue a tax form called a K-1. Usually an oil company of some kind, but there can be others. Those forms invariably came late, sometimes as late as May, so I would typically take an extension for that reason. But for some years now I've avoided anything that issues a K-1, not only do they arrive late, they're a little more challenging to include properly on a tax return.))

[TJKansai]

Thanks Tkydon! The w-7 was something new for me.

Also, i called the IRS last night and talked to an actual human...well, he sounded human-like.....anyway, he confirmed that I have to paper file because my wife is a Non-resident alien. He mentioned the ITIN and also the w-7 as a possible route for e-filing.

My Japanese wife had an ITIN, then they changed the system a few years back and she had to reapply.