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Showing results for tags 'taxes'.
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Did some searching and while there is a lot about foreign earned income, my situation is a bit different. For the past few years i have been temporarily working in China for a US company and still get paid by them in USD. On my W2 it shows total wages which is well above the poverty threshhold. However, on my IRS 1040 Adjusted Gross Income is below the threshhold because the income is claimed as foreign income (due to my being out of the US for the entire period). Not sure about the specifics of how this works, as my company hires KPMG to do our taxes for us. Question is, can this be explained by my wife in the interview by showing both my W2 and the additional forms included in my return showing the foreign income? Also, which amount should I enter when filling out the i-864? The intructions state to use the amount from the 1040 form shown as Adjusted Gross Income, but that amount is not reflective of the true situation.
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hi CDFLs When filing my 2014 taxes (married filing seperatly) on Turbo Tax it wants me to enter my spouse's SSN. He doesn't have one. It is allowing me to leave the entry blank. Do we need to apply for an ITIN? He isn't going to file US taxes because he doesn't have any earned US income. thanks
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While I've got all of the documents ready for my wife's interview (including last 3 tax returns for myself and the co-sponsors), I was wondering if I should include my 2014 return (not filed yet) as well? The co-sponsor's income is above and beyond the requirements for financial support ($100k+/year), but my last 3 returns are kind of shaky as I've been building a business (online) and living off of savings while in China. Either way, I'm planning on including a summary of the financials/evidence for my company showing monthly growth since June and even my personal daily income since November. Off topic: I've also been wondering if it's possible for me to go into the consulate with my wife to provide support and help during document intake? She speaks fluent English but I know it's going to be a stressful day and it would be great if I could be there to help. -
Hello folks, I've read a lot comments from you all in the past few days and I just thought I sign up and ask you guys who had been through it or are in one just like me for some tips and suggestions. Here's my story: - I am a US citizen - Married my wife in September 2012 - Filed I-130 petition in November 2012 - Wife got interviewed in March 2014 and was denied a visa based on INA 221 (g) for fraud and material representation grounds - Received NOIR on November 2014 with a lot discrepancies on their part - Lawyer sent in rebuttal documentations in December 2014 - 2/23/2105 Wife got a call from Embassy directly on her cellphone telling her to bring in all related documents for an interview on 5/11/2015. A surprise for us since there's no communication whatsoever from the USCIS to me (the petitioner) via postal mail or email & text notifications that I signed up for and when checking status on their site, nothing has changed since they sent us the NOIR. What do you guys think on this unusual immigration process?
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Not sure if I need to file my California state taxes since I don't owe anything and it costs $39 to file. Anyone know A) if I will need the state tax returns for the interview and B) if filing a state tax return is necessary when you've been living abroad and don't owe taxes? Thanks! -
Hey guys, I'm getting married this month and will be starting the CR1 process after that. I need to file my taxes for both 2013 and 2014 while I was working in China. In 2013 I was technically exempt from filing because I only worked for 4 months, but I think I should file anyway since I need the record for the CR1. I know this topic has probably been addressed so I'm sorry if this is redundant, but I'm confused about how to file my taxes while here. I don't have anything complicated to file, just simple foreign earned income fromhttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png my ESL teaching job for 2014 and part of 2013. I'd rather not pay a tax specialist if it's simple enough to do on my own. I always used online software while I was in the US like TurboTax, but I don't think I can do that here. Your tips are greatly appreciated, thanks!
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hello everyone i am puzzled now how to file my taxes . i am a us citizen just recently married in China , we filed our I-130 in August, have not heard anything back yet on this , i want to make sure i do my taxes correct to help our immigration and the next step, i plan to go back to china again during spring festival thanks !!!
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Hello, Both my mother and brother will be joint sponsor's for my wife. In his I-864 he only sent me his 2013 1040 tax returns. It says on the I-864 that 3-years is optional. Is that necessary to have 3 years worth of 1040 tax returns? Thank you for your responses. Best regards, Julian -
What's up guys? I'm preparing my taxes for tax year 2014 now and I really would like to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. To qualify, I've chosen not to file the Form 2555 (Foreign Earned Income Exclusion), which is fine because my deductions pretty much negate any tax due. However, the last qualification that must be met is "living in the US for at least 6 months." I've researched and researched but I'm coming up short on how the IRS defines living in the US versus living abroad. I've been in China for about 331 days in 2014 (so I could qualify for the FEIE if I wanted...), but I only worked for 6 months out of those 331 days... the other time was spent traveling around China and I also traveled out of the country for a little over a month. Anyway, I guess my question is this: have any of you claimed the EITC while living and working in China? Have any of you received advice from an accountant on this issue or something similar? -heohoel
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My wife and I have been married since 2011. During this time I have been filing my taxes as "Single" under bad advice from an accountant who I had handle back taxes years ago. After reading that this would be a red flag for the immigration process, I attempted to ammend my last 3 years of tax returns by filing 1040x for each year along with an explanation for the incorrect filing status and a copy of our marriage certificate. This was months ago and the changes still aren't reflected on my IRS tax transcripts. Would it be acceptable to provide full printouts of my past 3 years tax returns along with the 1040x's attached to the front? This is the only item I'm worried about when time comes for my wife's interview and I really want to make sure we don't get screwed over due to it.
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I see that they've posted new publications for 2014 as of Dec. 9, at least for Pub. 54 - Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion now extends to up to $99,200. Remember that you are NOT actually excluding anything - you must REPORT and PAY TAXES on your Foreign Earned Income. Taxes on your income are figured using the Foreign Earned Income worksheet, which is in the 1040 instructions. I don't see anything in this Publication regarding the Affordable Care Act, or how that will be treated. I looked through the Table of Contents, and did text searches for Affordable or Health, and came up with nothing. Publication 17 - Your Income Tax, which will contain information about what you can expect on the 2014 forms has not yet been updated.
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Hi everyone. I've read that my fiancee will be required to bring my tax returns from the last three years to her interview in Guangzhou. The problem is, I was not required to file a tax return in 2013 because my income was below $10,000 as I wasn't working during my final year of college and only started work in China in September of 2013. I have my tax returns from 2012 and 2011, but none for 2013 since I didn't need to file this previous year. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Hey guys, So as I've posted before, I'm preparing for my wife's CR-1 interview just weeks from now (Nov. 20th). I have just about everything ready, and I'm using a joint sponsor (my grandparents) for the financial support requirement. But I've recently learned that, despite using the joint sponsor, I need to fill out form i-864 myself, as the petitioner. So my problem becomes that I didn't file taxes for the last two years. For 2012, it's no big deal -- I was still in the U.S. for that entire year, unemployed, so I just filled out a standard 1040 and will attach that to my i-864 with a note explaining that I was in school that year. For 2013, I was in China -- i arrived in China and started work in February (on a tourist visa, eep). I worked for the entire year (I stopped working in June 2014), and my income, as calculated, was roughly 68,000RMB. I know I need to fill out another 1040 for 2013, and I know I need to attach to that either a 1116 or a 2555-EZ. I think it's the 2555-EZ that I need. I finally found the 2013 2555-EZ (thanks, Daniel), and am now struggling to fill it out. Line 11a of 2555-EZ in particular, at the moment, is confusing me: "List your tax home(s) during 2013 and date(s) established." I don't know if i fill out with like the countries listed and the dates I was there in parenthesis after or what, and of course the instruction PDF for 2555-EZ doesn't list anything about line 11a. I arrived in China on Feb. 17th of 2013. I was on a tourist visa until I returned to the U.S. from June 1st—June 11th to get my work/Z visa. I returned to China on June 11th of 2013 and from then on to this day I have remained in China. If Randy is out there, I could really use your help with this damn form! - Sam
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Hi everyone, First of all I would like to say thank you for all of your helpful posts, it has really helped me and my husband during this long process. We are in the final stages and have our interview scheduled in 2 weeks. I just have a few questions about the AOS form. I am the petitioner and my husband (French) is the beneficiary. We have been living in China for the past 5 years and now are planning on moving back. We will live with my mother upon immediate return and while searching for new jobs. My salary now does cover the poverty lines, however I do understand that this will not really be considered as I will techinically be unemployed when we move back to the US. I have a few questions below and confirmations: 1. Since my mom will act as the only joint-sponsor and her income is above the poverty line, does she need to fill out the I-864A or just the I-864? 2. When she does fill it out, is her household 2 or 3? Myself, husband and her would be living with her, but I am not a dependent legally, I think it should be 2 only, my husband and her-but not sure 3. Since I am filling out the I-864 as I am the petitioner, would my household be counted as only 2 since it will be me, my husband and mother too? 4. Also, since my current job here in Beijing will end shortly, do I even put that in the section under Sponsors' Income and employement, under the 'individual' income as I am still employed until we leave for the US? 5. #10 is the current annual houshold income (compared to poverty) if mines does not reach the lines, which currently does, will not when moved back to the US, does this matter as my mom will be filing as a joint sponsor and her total number will be higher? I imagine that I should fill it out with my current employment information and it will be supplemented with my moms? Thanks for your help!
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A new wrinkle on this topic: Americans abroad find citizenship too taxing to keep It seems the State Department has found a way to punish American Citizens when they renounce citizenship. MORE: http://blogs.wsj.com/totalreturn/2014/08/30/government-fee-to-give-up-u-s-citizenship-is-raised-fivefold/ Unintended consequences....
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Greetings all, I'm going to China again on Sept 11th (3rd time now) but this time we will get married and spend our honeymoon in the Maldives for a week. I want to prepare all the paperwork ahead of time, plus the W-7 form. I've looked at a few examples online for the I-130 and the G-325A forms but some are in all caps, some are just normal (first letter cap, rest lower case). What's better? My kitchen sink so far: Cover letter G-1145 the check I-130 G-325A both her and myself passport pictures copies of our birth certificates (with translation in white book form) copies of our divorce decrees (once again, hers in white book form) copies of our passports copy of our Chinese marriage certificate (with white book) evolution of relationship letter (I'll be adding more when I get back) 3 pictures from each of the first 2 trips there (I'll be adding 3 more when I get back) copies of my airline tickets and receipts of places we went to while I was there a few emails from day one, and phone records and a good friend of hers will write an affidavit to affirm having personal knowledge of our relationship and marriage. Shwweee that's a lot of paperwork . . . . . Thanks
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Hello there, I am new to the forum and am seeking some advice. I am a US Citizen, I have been working in China on a Z-visa for 3 years with a net income of about 20,000 RMB a month which is deposited into my Chinese bank account. I don't send over any money to my inactive empty American bank account. I have about 50,000 RMB in my local bank account. I don't currently have a job waiting for me back in the US and am working for a local company. My girlfriend and I have been dating for one year and we are getting our hukou in Harbin in October. After the hukou, I plan to apply for her to immigrate to America (I-130). Can anyone tell me what minimal financial standing I or she needs in order for us to to get approved? To be specific: Should I send money over to my US bank? Does she need to have any money in her own local bank account? (I deposit some money over to her every month to help pay bills/rent to the landlord) I am planning to ask my mother (home owner/ my residence in the US) and brother (high income) to apply for affidavit of support with me. Another note is I filed bankruptcy about 5 years ago but I've been maintaining several credit cards and building back my credit. All of your input is very much appreciated. Best of luck to all of us. Thank you. Julian
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Beijing to back United States over new Fatca law against tax evasion The Form TD F 90-221 has been required of those "US Persons" with accounts in China with balances exceeding $10,000 at any point during a reporting year. The new agreement will make it possible for the IRS to check up on your balances. Foreign Bank Accounts - Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) If you or your spouse have a foreign bank account which has exceeded a total value of $10,000, this should have been reported to the IRS using a Form TD F 90-221 for the year(s) during which the event occurred, on or before June 30th. Your spouse's bank accounts may fall under this umbrella even if he/she is living in China (if you are filing married filing jointly). Stiff penalties may apply, ranging up to 50% of the account value for each year it was not reported. The IRS has had "voluntary disclosure" programs where you can donate some of your overseas account money to the IRS. If you do not owe any tax money on the undisclosed accounts, my advice is to MAKE CERTAIN of what you're doing before you donate ANY money to their coffers. In other words, these programs and penalties (and the FBAR report itself) are supposed to apply to actual tax cheats - not people who simply have unreported non-taxable money outside the US tax system. In addition, Scedule B says: -
Americans have always enjoyed the privilege of living abroad without losing citizenship. Think Hemingway and Fitzgerald decamping to write in Europe after World War I, or Gen. MacArthur spending decades in Asia around World War II. Expatriates remain Americans, and have generally been welcomed back to our shores with open arms. But today there are at least 3,000 fewer Americans than there ought to be. That’s how many people live overseas and voluntarily gave up their citizenship in 2013 alone. And they won’t be coming back—at least not as Americans. Their decision to become foreigners is being driven, in many cases, by changes to domestic laws. The United States is one of only two countries that attempt to tax money citizens earn while working overseas (Eritrea is the other). And two laws aimed at bringing tax revenue back into the U.S.—the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)—are actually driving Americans away. FBAR focuses on citizens, demanding that anyone with $10,000 or more in a foreign bank inform the IRS about that account. FATCA is even more invasive, because it attempts to compel foreign companies to cooperate with the IRS. Instead, many companies are simply deciding to dump their American customers. Congress passed FATCA in 2010 to make it harder for Americans with foreign accounts to illegally evade U.S. taxes. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of FATCA has been a painful burden inflicted on innocent law-abiding U.S. citizens residing abroad whom the law is forcing to make life-changing decisions. From USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/08/usa-citizens-relinquish-passports-tax-filing/5859371/ http://blog.heritage.org/2014/04/23/thousands-americans-gave-citizenship-status-last-year/ The United States has always been the exceptional nation, the land of opportunity, even if some Americans chose to pursue opportunities abroad. We’ve been able to lure the best of the best from all around the world to become Americans and help build our economy. However, if the federal government continues to pile on burdensome regulations, that may not always be the case.
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well the tax deadline is soon approaching and i have a question for my friend Bob. We all know what happened to Bob and that is in the past now. (Through he is sober now and doing well) I'm doing my taxes today as well as Bob taxes this year. Though Hong and i taxes are straight forward. On the other hand, Bob and Jens taxes are a bit more complicated and i forget how to go about the first time filing taxes just after be married. We have all the correct documents now from Chengdu consulate for there ITIN (W-7) I know there tax paper work must be MAILED not efiled for federal and our great government will applies the the correct ITIN number to there taxes. My question is? What about state taxes? What should we/they input on state tax form for ss#/ITIN#
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Hello All, I am a newbie on this site and am already super pleased with all the useful information I have found on this former. My husband is American and i am from Zimbabwe. We got married in January and have since submitted the I-130 application which has now been approved (yay!) and are now waiting for further instructions. Regarding the next steps, I wanted to ask about tax filing in particular. I know my husband will need to submit some sort of proof of filing but given he has been in China for 4 years, he has not had to file in the US as his wages fall beneath the threshhold. My question is then, what does he need to show as proof of taxes? I also wanted to find out if it would be worth having a co-sponsor (ie his mother) to help to support the move. We are in a good position financially, but will not have jobs when we get to the US. Will this be an issue? I also wanted to find out whether the Guangzhou field office will be contacting us via email or snail mail. Thank you so much!!
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I am still waiting for my tax returns from the IRS and it has been almost 4 months. I have tried to access my tax transcripts online, but it is not working for me. My co-sponsor has included her past 3 tax returns with the I-864. Does this mean I don't need to show mine as well? Would my wife's visa be automatically denied without my last 3 years tax returns? I feel like time is running out and I am feeling stressed about this.
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The title says it all. My sister in law (hong sister) when to Chengdu to get a certified copy of her passport so Bob, her American husband can get her an ITIN number (W-7) she had a appointment and all Chengdu said they did not trust her and she needed some sort of tax papers from bob. What papers she needs i have no idea. The only thing i know she wasted a trip to Chengdu and will have to go back. Any idea what they are talking about. She will be in Chengdu for 5 more days and there is a appointment open this Friday. Would like to get this taken care of this week. Mike -
How do you file your taxes online without an employer identification number? If your employer doesn't have this number, do you just file your taxes by paper and mail them in? How long does it take for you to get your tax returns?
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Hi All: I have a job offer from a Chinese university for a 2 year position, and the HR Dept. there is telling me that I can claim an exemption from Chinese individual income taxes during my time there. (see below) One of the forms required to obtain this exemption is a Certification of US Tax Residency, which I would have to get from the US. I have 2 questions about this: 1. Has anyone else gotten this exemption from Chinese individual income taxes? 2. Because, as part of obtaining this exemption, I would have to certify that I am a resident of the US for tax purposes, would I no longer be eligible to use the Foreign Earned Income Credit? In other words, would I then have to pay US taxes on all my China-earned income below $80k? I would be extremely appreciative to receive guidance from anyone who has been through these issues. Thanks! Individual tax exemption Appointees from countries which have a tax agreement with Chinese government will be exempted from the Chinese individual tax for the first 2-3 years when he/she works at an institution in Mainland China.
