Hi,

I am on a H1 and my wife is on a H4, While filing my taxes do I choose 'married filing jointly'?

Also my wife is not eligible for a SSN, when I tried to file using H&R software the system prompts me for my wife's SSN. How do I go about filing my taxes.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ganesh

Ganesh:

You CAN file jointly, but in doing so, you make ALL of your 2006 world-wide income subject to U.S. taxes. It is likely that the benefits of filing jointly will outweigh adding your home country based income, but it is something to consider.

You need to apply for an ITIN for your wife, using Form W-7 and a notarized photocopy of her passport.