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Tax Return UK/USA: First time

Tax Return UK/USA: First time

Old Jan 24th 2011, 7:19 pm
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Default Tax Return UK/USA: First time

I am a USC and have been living in the UK since I was 16, I'm now 29. I am in the process of submitting an I-130 for my husband as we plan to move to the USA with our two children.

Only through researching the various documents, etc that we will be required to present at the interview in London, have I found out that I should have been submitting a tax return for worldwide earnings! And I need to show 3 years worth! Oops!!

I have spent several evenings google-ing and reading and trying to figure out where to start! I'm still confused!

Do I file as married but filing separately, as my husband is not yet a resident alien. And what do I do about the children? I am planning on registering their births with the embassy in London and applying for US passports for them, but I'm assuming that they are not yet counted as USCs, so do I include them somewhere in the tax return? Also which form to I start with??!!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Rachelle
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Old Jan 24th 2011, 9:01 pm
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Default Re: Tax Return UK/USA: First time

Originally Posted by raestarlight
I am a USC and have been living in the UK since I was 16, I'm now 29. I am in the process of submitting an I-130 for my husband as we plan to move to the USA with our two children.

Only through researching the various documents, etc that we will be required to present at the interview in London, have I found out that I should have been submitting a tax return for worldwide earnings! And I need to show 3 years worth! Oops!!

I have spent several evenings google-ing and reading and trying to figure out where to start! I'm still confused!

Do I file as married but filing separately, as my husband is not yet a resident alien. And what do I do about the children? I am planning on registering their births with the embassy in London and applying for US passports for them, but I'm assuming that they are not yet counted as USCs, so do I include them somewhere in the tax return? Also which form to I start with??!!

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Rachelle
Read this entry on the BE wiki. It's an absolute godsend, one of the most useful resources on BE for people doing DCF. Read it *carefully* and bear in mind that no two year's US tax forms are exactly the same - so the question numbers it mentions may not exactly match the particular year's form you are filling out.

However it is quite straightforward if you read and follow the wiki carefully. I'd suggest printing off several copies of the forms for practice fill-outs so you can be sure you've got it right.

As we don't have any kids, we didn't need to worry about that aspect, but AIUI (I'm a UKC who's only just arrived in the US so I get another year before I have to face the joy of filing a US tax return myself) the main reason to list them is to claim them as dependents that you get tax relief for. Unless you're an investment banker or mega-celeb, it's unlikely that you'll have earned enough to owe the American IRS any back taxes anyway, so that'll probably not be an issue for you.
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Old Jan 25th 2011, 8:25 am
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Default Re: Tax Return UK/USA: First time

Originally Posted by rpjs
Read this entry on the BE wiki. It's an absolute godsend, one of the most useful resources on BE for people doing DCF.
Thank you for the useful link! That is exactly what I was looking for! It all makes a lot more sense to me now!

Rachelle
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