Hi,

I came this April,08 with H1B visa.Also my wife came with me on H4 visa.
I came to know that I need to get ITIN for my wife to get additional benefit for her dependent status. Can you please help me with the following

1) When do she need to apply a ITIN?(it says it requires a tax return.not sure)
2) For ITIN application they say either send original passport or send notarized. How do I get her passport copy notarized?
3) How I am going to user her ITIN while fillinf the return?

Thanks in advance.

1-3) You will apply for the ITIN when you file your 2008 tax return (in eary 2009). It is submitted WITH the 2008 tax return, along with a notarized photocopy of her passport (you CAN send the original passport, but why risk having the IRS lose her passport when a photocopy is easy to do and you can get it notarized at any local bank).

Ok thanks for your answer.
Some more qs though.

1) How many federal tax exemption I can claim.
Me on h1, my wife on h4 and dependent on me.just the two of us.
And we live in WA state

You do not apply for ITIN now. You will attach W7 with your 2008 tax return (due date April 15, 2009). You will file joint return as residents. You will get standard deductions and exemptions for both of you.

Hi MukatA.

But if by April 15,2009 I go back, then what will happen.
Do I need to fill and send the return from my native country

File tax return in the first week of January 2009, before you go back.

Harry99 has it right. You can do all of the preparation work in late December and mail the return on 2 January 2009.

In this past year, ITIN applications that were submitted in January had ITINs issued in LESS than two weeks.

The ITIN applications that take two MONTHS or more are those that are submitted in March and April, when the vloume at the ITIN Processing Center is heaviest.