Documents required for getting ITIN

[americandesimd]

Dear friends,

I recently came to USA with my wife. she has H4 visa. I have never filed taxes before in USA.
I need to apply for my wife's ITIN and will be applying for it at the Tax Payer Assistance center.

I know I need to submit the certified copy of my wife's passport along with the w7 form.
Is there any other document (original, certified copy, and/or photocopy) required for applying for ITIN?

Also I believe I don't require tax returns copy and we come under the exception category.

Looking forward to your best advise.

Thanks.

[rayb]

At one IRS office where one of my people submitted an ITIN, along with tax return, the office also insisted on including a statement, "REQUEST TO BE TREATED AS RESIDENT ALIEN, FOR TAX REPORTING PURPOSES."

--Ray B

Dear friends,

I recently came to USA with my wife. she has H4 visa. I have never filed taxes before in USA.
I need to apply for my wife's ITIN and will be applying for it at the Tax Payer Assistance center.

I know I need to submit the certified copy of my wife's passport along with the w7 form.
Is there any other document (original, certified copy, and/or photocopy) required for applying for ITIN?

Also I believe I don't require tax returns copy and we come under the exception category.

Looking forward to your best advise.

Thanks.

[americandesimd]

At one IRS office where one of my people submitted an ITIN, along with tax return, the office also insisted on including a statement, "REQUEST TO BE TREATED AS RESIDENT ALIEN, FOR TAX REPORTING PURPOSES."

--Ray B

Thanks for the quick reply Ray.
When you say include a statement is it that my wife needs to write a letter and self sign it? or do we need to obtain this letter from somewhere?

[rayb]

Following is the verbiage for this statement from the W7 instructions:

"...
How to Make the Choice
Attach a statement, signed by both spouses, to your joint return for the first tax year for which the choice applies. It should contain the following information:
A declaration that one spouse was a nonresident alien and the other spouse a U.S. citizen or resident alien on the last day of your tax year, and that you choose to be treated as U.S. residents for the entire tax year
The name, address, and identification number of each spouse. (If one spouse died, include the name and address of the person making the choice for the deceased spouse.)
..."

Thanks for the quick reply Ray.
When you say include a statement is it that my wife needs to write a letter and self sign it? or do we need to obtain this letter from somewhere?

[americandesimd]

Following is the verbiage for this statement from the W7 instructions:

"...
How to Make the Choice
Attach a statement, signed by both spouses, to your joint return for the first tax year for which the choice applies. It should contain the following information:
A declaration that one spouse was a nonresident alien and the other spouse a U.S. citizen or resident alien on the last day of your tax year, and that you choose to be treated as U.S. residents for the entire tax year
The name, address, and identification number of each spouse. (If one spouse died, include the name and address of the person making the choice for the deceased spouse.)
..."

Thanks.
I cannot find the text you mentioned in the latest w7 instructions.
Can you please let me know which exception will I come under?
I believe its as below:

1(d) Individuals who are receiving distributions during the current
tax year of income such as pensions, annuities, rental income,
royalties, dividends, etc., and are required to provide an ITIN to
the withholding agent (for example, an investment company,
insurance company, or financial institution, etc.) for the purposes
of tax withholding and/or reporting requirements.

documents required
1(d) A signed letter or document from the withholding agent, on
official letterhead, showing your name and verifying that an ITIN is
required to make distributions to you during the current tax year that
are subject to IRS information reporting and/or federal tax
withholding.

[rayb]

I don't think either of the citations you provided are applicable.

I'll have to go back and see where my citation came from. Can't do it now, am working on post office deadlines before they close.

--Ray B

Thanks.
I cannot find the text you mentioned in the latest w7 instructions.
Can you please let me know which exception will I come under?
I believe its as below:

1(d) Individuals who are receiving distributions during the current
tax year of income such as pensions, annuities, rental income,
royalties, dividends, etc., and are required to provide an ITIN to
the withholding agent (for example, an investment company,
insurance company, or financial institution, etc.) for the purposes
of tax withholding and/or reporting requirements.

documents required
1(d) A signed letter or document from the withholding agent, on
official letterhead, showing your name and verifying that an ITIN is
required to make distributions to you during the current tax year that
are subject to IRS information reporting and/or federal tax
withholding.

[americandesimd]

I don't think either of the citations you provided are applicable.

I'll have to go back and see where my citation came from. Can't do it now, am working on post office deadlines before they close.

--Ray B

Why I need the ITIN for my wife is because my employer needs it.

I got the below notice from my employer:

Dependents without a valid SSN will be cancelled from Medical and/or Dental coverage effective November 24, 2014.
The Federal Medicare Secondary Payer Act requires that health care insurers provide eligibility data to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on a quarterly basis. <Employer> must provide the Name, Birth Date, and Social Security Number (SSN) for each associate and dependent covered under a group health plan. To comply with the Federal Medicare Secondary Payer Act, you must provide the SSN for each covered dependent by November 23, 2014. If your dependent is ineligible for an SSN, you must provide an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) or an Adoption Tax Identification Number (ATIN) instead. These numbers are issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and may be used to comply with the Federal Medicare Secondary Payer Act.


Ray,

please look in to this whenever you get some time. Appreciate your help on this.

Thanks.

[americandesimd]

Hey Friends,

has anyone applied for spouse's ITIN without tax returns? is anyone successful with this?
looking forward to your advise on the steps for such an application.

Thanks.

[rayb]

No, there is no available option for IRS to issue an ITIN unless the W-7 form is submitted with an income tax return.

--Ray B

Hey Friends,

has anyone applied for spouse's ITIN without tax returns? is anyone successful with this?
looking forward to your advise on the steps for such an application.

Thanks.

[americandesimd]

No, there is no available option for IRS to issue an ITIN unless the W-7 form is submitted with an income tax return.

--Ray B

Thanks Ray.

Folks,
Can I apply for my wife's ssn? she is on h4.
please check the below link.

http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/cards.htm

has anyone done this before and successful? what docs are required and what is the process.
appreciate any help on this.
Thanks.