[Forenza]

Hi,
I am married but my wife does not stay with me, she is outside United states. What should I enter the federal filling status(single/married) in W4 form?

Thanks.

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

If you intend to file a JOINT return (which you CAN do even with your wife in another country), then claim MARRIED status and claim TWO allowances.

If not, claim SINGLE status with one allowance.

[Forenza]

If you intend to file a JOINT return (which you CAN do even with your wife in another country), then claim MARRIED status and claim TWO allowances.

If not, claim SINGLE status with one allowance.

Hi,
Thanks for the advice, if I am filling married what are two allowances? My wife is working in other country.

Thanks,
AK.

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

Even though your wife is in another country, you can STILL file jointly with her. The IRS could care less WHERE your wife is located, just as long as you include HER income in the return and she applies for and gets an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN).

If you file jointly, you are being taxed ar the LOWEST tax rate available, so youwould want to have LESS withheld from your salary; hence, the Form W-4 with MARRIED status and TWO allowances.

[Forenza]

Even though your wife is in another country, you can STILL file jointly with her. The IRS could care less WHERE your wife is located, just as long as you include HER income in the return and she applies for and gets an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN).

If you file jointly, you are being taxed ar the LOWEST tax rate available, so youwould want to have LESS withheld from your salary; hence, the Form W-4 with MARRIED status and TWO allowances.

Thank you so much for expert advice. My wife was here is US in 2012, I am planning to get her ITIN. Can I do that from here after she signs W7

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

You will need to apply for Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITINs) for your wife by submitting Form W-7, and that process has undergone some radical procedural changes this past year.  Instead of the simple notarization process, the IRS now requires that your home country certify the photocopy of your passport as a true copy.  This is due to rampant fraud in the ITIN submission process.  The notaries simply cannot tell the difference between a fake passport and the genuine passport.

This certification can be done by your home country embassy in Washington, D.C. or at one of the consulates.  Assuming you do NOT want to drive there, you need to call the nearest consulate and arrange to have this process done via the mail.  The process, done via mail, can take up to three months to complete.

The alternative is to mail in the actual passports themselves, something most of my clients are reluctant to do.