[torradan]

So I get my W-2 form from work yesterday (The paper that tells my income, taxes paid, etc that gets submitted to the IRS with my tax forms.. not sure what you guys call 'em).

So, seeing as how I'm married now.. I decided to give them a call, since marking the Single box won't work. Plus, I don't want to get audited.

After losing 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back talking to useless drones, I'm that much more confused. The one guy flat out told me.. "If you asked more specific questions, I could help you better". (It reminded me of that hologram in "I, Robot"!) I told him flat out what was going on, that i'm doing the best I can, and if I knew what questions to ask, I would ask them. I spelled out the whole marriage and everything.

1) I'm American
2) My wife is Canadian
3) She doesn't have a Social Security Number (your SIN I guess)
4) She doesn't live in the US
5) She doesn't work in the US
6) She doesn't pay taxes to the IRS.

All I got back was "read publication blahblahblah, publication blahblahblah, and publication blahblahblah". Which may as well be written in Sanskrit for all the sense they make to me.

I asked him.."Here is a specified question: Do I file single or married since she isn't a citizen/resident here?" His answer? Answer a question with a question, of course! "Were you married on December 31, 2006?".. I answer "Yes". Then he says "Then you file married, either joint or separate returns". So I ask how.. "Well, you use her income statements on your taxes". So after another 10 minutes of back and forth, I started to get really heated and asked for a supervisor. Who turned out to be equally useless. So I thanked her and her staff (except for one person, who was very polite, but honestly didn't know how to answer this this and sent me to someone who could help -- I gave the supervisor her name and ID number) for not helping and confusing me even more, I hung up, grabbed a beer, and called H&R Block.

Now, in all of the legalese that I listened to for the 90 minutes, which went over my head, I think I gleaned the following:
1) We need to apply to get her an ITIN number. Which is similar to a SSN/SIN, but only used for taxes preparation.
2) We put her income on my taxes, but it gets credited back.
3) I'm paying someone to do my taxes this year.

Needless to say, I'm going to H&R Block today. I told the nice lady who answered the phone "I just spent 90 minutes on the phone with the IRS".. she replied, "and you're still sane?" She was extremely friendly and helpful. Made an appointment for today, and they have someone from an H&R Block Canada whom I'll be speaking to. I'll also be asking how Michelle needs to file this year too, and what BS we have to go through with your equivalent of the IRS.

JFC. I need another beer.

[Frost__2001]

W-2 is called a T4 here in Canada, If anything you can still file as single as your wife lives out of country, possibly you can get credited for some travel to see your wife as there are many loop holes in both the Canadian & American Revneue Services.

My Sister went thru something like this with both the Canadian and Portuguese Government about taxes for both here and her husband for last years taxes but both governments wanted both of them going back 3 years..... lol

you did the right thing in going to some one who will know the loop holes and can get you thru this Dan.

[NOS2Go4Me]

Yeah... We're actually going to be doing our own taxes this year, but it's crazy to go through what you are going through right now. I'd let H+R sort it all out as they're legally responsible for preparing the tax return properly (at least they are in Canada). If anything gets f***ed up, it's their ass and not yours.

Good luck, man. I certainly don't envy your position right now.

[ANTHONYD]

Move to Canada.

Problem solved.

[habmann]

Ya for the amount it costs and the headaches it saves i just let someone who knows what they're doing do my taxes each year.

[torradan]

haha Anthony, I'm waiting on the RCMP to finish processing my fingerprints! (Someone with a similar name and near my age was a bad boy, so therefore, I get to suffer while they realize its not me.)

Even when I move, I'll still be an American citizen, and will still have to file taxes in both Canada & the US. (Even if I didn't work in the US for that tax year). The dual citizenship thing is looking bleak, to say the least.

H&R Block here is responsible for tax preparation as well. So I don't mind giving them the money to save me a headache.

[ZX5focused]

i thought this was gonna be about suspensions :lol:

good luck
i do my own taxes with Quicktax, but im sure as hell not as complicated as most of you on here.

[mo_focus]

torradan,Jan 18 2007, 02:06 PM Wrote:Even when I move, I'll still be an American citizen, and will still have to file taxes in both Canada & the US. (Even if I didn't work in the US for that tax year).  The dual citizenship thing is looking bleak, to say the least.

H&R Block here is responsible for tax preparation as well.  So I don't mind giving them the money to save me a headache.
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One thing, Becareful with H&R, they are bunch of Accounting students that work on min. wage, so they are not bright either. Make sure if you do go to H&R its someone with experiance.

As for filing your taxes is US, In canada if you are away from the country more then 6months you don't have to pay taxes. So it might be something similar in US as well.

[NefCanuck]

Doing your own taxes is not as hard as some would make it seem :huh:

I mean I have income from stocks, employment and other writeoffs and writedowns and I've used Quicktax for years with no hassles from the CCRA.

NefCanuck

Now watch them audit me <_<

[torradan]

ok, so I just talked to the H&R Block lady. Now I can sleep tonight!

I explained the situation, and she knew exactly what I was saying. (She's Canadian, but immigrated to the US for some odd reason).

She asked, "Did you get married in Canada or the US?"
We got married in Canada.

She says: ok, one more question. When you were on the phone with the IRS, did you give them any information about yourself?
No, of course not, its a government thing, and I don't give out information freely.

Now she says.. That easy then. The IRS doesn't even know you're married, so file single, and not married. Case closed.

Next year is when it gets complicated, and I have her card so she can handle the taxes for both countries.

[SliverSteeda]

NOS2Go4Me,Jan 18 2007, 10:42 AM Wrote:Yeah... We're actually going to be doing our own taxes this year, but it's crazy to go through what you are going through right now. I'd let H+R sort it all out as they're legally responsible for preparing the tax return properly (at least they are in Canada). If anything gets f***ed up, it's their ass and not yours.

Good luck, man. I certainly don't envy your position right now.
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Use this site... its awesome.... used it for 2 years now... this will be my 3rd... its awesome. Do your own taxes in about the time it takes your wife to do her hair.... (or about 15 minute...

http://ufile.ca/default.asp


Totally recommended by Revenue Canada