Korean Job Discussion Forums

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

My father helps me do my taxes on the USA side. Since I married my wife, we've run into a somewhat confusing mess as far as US taxes are concerned.

According to some rules, we were told to get my wife a tax ID number which needs to be entered somewhere/somehow on my taxes. Her wages are all made in Korea, so we are not taxed on them. So I went to the US embassy to get the paperwork to apply for this number. According to my father, however, our application for this number has been rejected??

I'm still trying to get a handle on what is going on, but my father seems to think we're OK without her having a tax ID number. I'm concerned, however, that in one place we are told we need something, yet in another place, we are denied from having it.

Anyone else understand this mess?

movybuf · Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Location: Mokdong

That tax ID number thing is messed up. I applied for it back when my wife and I got married, but we never got anything back. I have no idea what happened. So every year, when I file my taxes, I write "ID applied for" in the space on the form. I have never heard anything from them saying my taxes were rejected. I'm sure the government doesn't care much about me and my measly "on the record" income.

So, in conclusion....I can't help you. Sorry.

pec5002 · Joined: 15 Mar 2009

Well as an Accounting major and someone who is studying for their CPA exam heres the short end of it.

I would say with 99% confidence that if you filled out the "Applied for it" box you would get away with no problems. The government can only actually look at so many tax returns a year and mostly would skip over that. Now if you do not include her wages at all in any way and the she makes a fair amount of money you are liable in this for an audit for 5 years. Meaning, if you dont hear anything within 5 years your fine. BUT if you do get audited, then you are fucked.

You should contact a CPA who is knowledgeable in international tax recording policies for more solid answer.

movybuf · Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Location: Mokdong

Chambertin · Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Location: Gunsan

I have no accreditations, brains or desires.
I do have a few pieces of experience.

First thing, are you trying to file jointly in the US?
If so then she needs a tax or personal ID to file here income under.
This is the basic site for tax ID�s
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96696,00.html
(ignore the small business part and look at the options like ITIN, etc.)

Will she be claimed as a dependant?
If so then that ID will need to be verified. See page 3 �ITIN (right side)
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p503.pdf
-Essentially (under normal conditions) she can not be claimed as dependant if she makes her income independent to yours. If you have the ID then some things change. (I aint no accountant)

If you dont file jointly or claim her as a dependant, then her income will be claimed and taxed under the authority of her residence (assumed Korean) and have nothing to do with yours, then and only then don�t worry.

She doesn�t need a social security number to file taxes in the US, yet she needs an identifier to prove her income can be combined with yours and still claim her as a dependant, or joint file.

I wish I could give you an exact answer, but as I said in the beginning: �I have no accreditations, brains or desires.� Meaning I am not certified or learned, just been around enough situations to pass on what I saw.
I'm happy to try to help, but need to know exactly where to start.

From my experience the no job wife is much easier to file for.

Geckoman · Joined: 07 Jun 2007

Here's an earlier thread about filing your taxes while abroad:

ATT AMERICANS!: FILE YOUR FEDERAL INCOME TAXES BY JUNE 15TH!
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=154390

Cool

jonbowman88 · Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Location: gwangju, s korea

Yeah my accountant said my wife needed one as well, and so we applied and were rejected because my wife has never been to the usa. Anyways my accountant just wrote her number as 000000000 guess it works?

Jammer113 · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

Well, I'm not accountant, so take everything with a grain of salt.....

But everything I've read says that the number is optional. As long as she isn't in America, she doesn't have any sort of American visa, she doesn't make any money in America, and you file your taxes separately, she doesn't need to have a number.

But she should still be able to get a number easily...