dont even get me started on that one 😩

That's not correct. You can't file as Head of Household if you're married unless you qualify as "considered unmarried" under IRS rules. Having a non-resident alien spouse doesn't automatically make you "considered unmarried" - you would need to be legally separated or meet other specific requirements.

I looked into that option actually! From what I understand, you cannot file as Head of Household if you're married unless you meet very specific requirements like being "considered unmarried" under IRS rules. Just having a spouse living abroad doesn't qualify you as "considered unmarried" - there are additional requirements including having a qualifying dependent living with you. Since I don't have dependents, MFS is my only option right now.

This is incredibly helpful! I'm actually in a very similar situation - my spouse is from the Philippines and we're waiting on the spouse visa process. Quick question about the Certified Acceptance Agent option you mentioned - how do you find one? Is this something you can do online or do you need to visit them in person? And roughly what did it cost compared to just mailing the originals to the IRS? I'm leaning toward getting the ITIN since we'll definitely want to file jointly once she gets here, but I'm nervous about mailing original documents internationally.

You can find Certified Acceptance Agents through the IRS website - they have a searchable directory by location. Most CAAs do require an in-person visit since they need to physically examine the original documents, but some offer video conferencing options now. The cost varies but typically runs $50-150 for the service, which I thought was worth it for the peace of mind. Much better than risking original passports and documents in international mail! The CAA can authenticate the documents and send certified copies to the IRS, so your originals never leave your hands. Since your spouse is in the Philippines, you might want to check if there are any CAAs there, or if she has any trips planned to the US where she could visit one. Some tax preparation offices (like H&R Block locations) are also CAAs, so that might be an option too.

Yes! TurboTax is super annoying with that. I found that sometimes if you go back and review your answers to previous questions, you might find something you answered wrong that's triggering unnecessary forms. Double-check your answers about dependency status and support.

That's a good tip! I'll look back through my answers again. I'm wondering if I misunderstood something about the scholarship questions, since that seems to be what might be triggering this Form 8615 requirement.

This is really helpful, thank you! I think I might have been answering the support questions incorrectly. When I calculate my total expenses for the year (including rent, food, gas, etc.), my job income from July through December was around $8,500, and my total living expenses were probably around $15,000. So it sounds like I don't actually provide more than half my own support, which means I might legitimately need to deal with Form 8615 after all. The scholarship part makes sense though - mine was definitely just for tuition and required books, so that shouldn't be triggering the kiddie tax. I'm going to go back through TurboTax and make sure I'm answering the scholarship questions correctly. Hopefully that clears up some of the confusion!

Wait, hold on! I think you might be miscalculating the support test. You mentioned you only worked from July through December, but the support test looks at the FULL year, not just when you were working. If your total expenses were $15,000 for the entire year, you need to figure out who paid for the $6,500 difference. If your parents helped cover that gap (maybe they paid for some of your living expenses, tuition not covered by scholarships, etc.), then they provided that portion of your support. But here's the key thing about the support test for kiddie tax purposes - it's specifically about whether you provided more than half your support from EARNED income (your job). So even if your parents helped with some expenses, if your $8,500 in wages covered more than half of what YOU personally paid for (versus what your parents paid), you might still pass the self-support exception. The calculation can get tricky, so definitely double-check those support questions in TurboTax. Make sure you're distinguishing between total support received versus support you provided for yourself through earned income.

I use a US-based mail scanning service (Traveling Mailbox) that gives me a real US street address. They scan all my mail and I can view it online or have important things forwarded wherever I am. Been doing this for my IRS stuff for about 4 years with no issues. Just make sure to use a service that gives you an actual street address, not just a PO Box.

This is really helpful! I'm new to filing as an expat and was stressing about the address situation. Quick question - when you say "keep records of your actual physical address," do you mean just writing it down somewhere or is there a specific way the IRS wants this documented? I'm about to file my first return from abroad and want to make sure I'm covering all my bases.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really reassuring to hear. Did you have any issues with the ID.me verification or was it pretty smooth? I've heard mixed things about their platform but 20 minutes sounds way better than waiting on hold with the IRS for hours 😅

Thanks for the detailed breakdown! The video queue part sounds a bit annoying but 6 weeks for processing after verification isn't too bad. I'm definitely going to call and double-check my address is current - that's a great tip. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here, makes me feel way less stressed about the whole thing! 😊