My name is David and I'm a Religious Worker for the New England Methodist Conference in Boston MA. My question is regarding the Tax Report process I'm supposed to follow. I entered on July 2006 with a vacation VISA, and got this working offer then we filled everything and received our R1 and R2 change of status on June 21th 2007. We are trying to do our first Tax Report and we're longing to do it right because we are going to be summited for permanent residence by the end of this R1 and R2 period.

Blessings,

David

David:

The R visa is for religious workers who work for a tax-exempt religious organization. However, it is actually a WORK visa.

That means that you must pay income taxes (federal and Massachusetts) and FICA taxes (Social Security and Medicare) on your salary as a religious worker.

The vacation visa is normally a B visa, which would generally require the filing of a non-resident alien tax return (Form 1040NR or 1040NR-EZ).

However, you have met the Substantial Presence Test in 2007, so you will file either a dual-status return or a resident alien return (Form 1040.1040A/1040EZ) if you file jointly with your spouse.

If you need my professional help to do this, contact me at the email address below.