[acrossthepond]

I am a UK citizen, moving with my husband to the USA in October.

He will be on H1B and working full time. I will be on H4 and not permitted to work.

He has just opened a bank account in the US in preparation for our move. Now we have asked them to add me to the account so I can do admin and have my own debit card.

They have sent me W-8BEN. Should I be filling this in?

Key point is that we are currently in the UK and then will be resident in the USA in October. We will be filing jointly on our tax return.

Please advise anyone?

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

A better solution than completing the W-8BEN is to apply for and receive an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), something you will need anyway when you file jointly for 2012.

You need to get a letter from the bank stating that you need the ITIN to be added to the bank account. This will allow you to submit Form W-7 to the IRS early to get the ITIN. Along with the letter from the bank, you also need to submit a clear photocopy of your passport that is CERTIFIED by the U.K. government as a TRUE COPY of the passport.

Once you have the ITIN, adding you to the bank account should be no problem, and it will allow you to file your 2012 tax return electronically.

If you need help with this process, I am a Certifying Acceptance Agent and can provide professional help if necessary. You can email me at the email address in my profile if you do not see it below.