Help! I have lived in Spain for several years. I qualify for Foreign Earned Income and the Foreign Housing Deduction. I am self-employed. I married a Spaniard in Nov 2006. I am trying to file my taxes and I'm not sure what status to use. He's not an American citizen, we don't live in the U.S. and he does not earn any money in the U.S. He pays more than 50% of our expenses.

Can I still file as a single? Or must I file as married? If so, what do I do about my spouse?

Thank you for any wisdom you can share.

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Originally Posted by jcheriep

Help! I have lived in Spain for several years. I qualify for Foreign Earned Income and the Foreign Housing Deduction. I am self-employed. I married a Spaniard in Nov 2006. I am trying to file my taxes and I'm not sure what status to use. He's not an American citizen, we don't live in the U.S. and he does not earn any money in the U.S. He pays more than 50% of our expenses.

Can I still file as a single? Or must I file as married? If so, what do I do about my spouse?

Thank you for any wisdom you can share.

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You are married so you must file as a married individual. You cannot file a joint return with a non-resident unless the non-resident elects to be a resident and includes their worldwide income.

You might be able to claim an exemption for your non-citizen spouse if they have no US income.

TTE covered it rather well! No additional comments.

Moving to the Philippines soon and married a lady with 3 kids can you please tell me as far as tax wise can I claim any of them and if now what do I need to do to make that possible. Thanks

Are your spouse and the children U.S. Citizens?