Tough Question

[Pulatik]

Hello,
I have a question here. I reside permanently in the US. I got married on December 29, 2009 in my wife's country. Yesterday, I was filing my federal and state taxes, and I got really confused. One of the questions the Turbo Tax software asked whether I was single or married on December 31, 2009, so I checked 'married' status. But then it asked her social security and other important details, which she doesn't have cause she lives in her own country. So the software suggested me to file as 'married filed jointly'. But how can we file jointly if she lives and works in her own country? Can anyone explain what I should do??? Will it be a problem if I file my taxes with 'single' status???

[Jeff4cpa]

You can make the election to treat your wife as a U.S. resident and file jointly, claiming her foreign income and taking a credit for foreign taxes paid. File a W-7 to get her tax ID. You must follow the instructions very carefully.