Don't forget to check if your daughter qualifies for the Child Tax Credit! There are special rules for children who are non-resident aliens. If she has an ITIN and meets the other tests, you might still qualify for the credit even if she lives abroad.

I went through this exact same situation a couple years ago! Here's what I learned that might help you: Since you're a resident alien and your wife can elect to be treated as one for tax purposes, you're on the right track with married filing jointly. For your daughter, even though she's a nonresident alien, you can still claim her as a dependent if she meets the qualifying child or qualifying relative tests. The key thing to know is that for qualifying children, they need to be US citizens, resident aliens, nationals, OR residents of Canada/Mexico. If your daughter doesn't fall into those categories, you might still qualify under the qualifying relative rules. You absolutely can get an ITIN for her using Form W-7. I'd recommend working with a Certifying Acceptance Agent if possible rather than mailing original documents - it's much safer and faster. One heads up though - while you can claim her as a dependent for the dependency exemption, she won't qualify for the Child Tax Credit since that requires US citizenship or resident alien status. But the dependency deduction itself can still provide significant tax savings. Make sure you have all her documentation ready (birth certificate, proof of relationship) and get any foreign documents certified and translated if needed. The whole process took about 10 weeks for us during non-peak season.

This is such a common situation for unmarried couples with kids! From what you've described, it sounds like your boyfriend would likely be the better choice to claim your child since he has the higher income and provides the financial support. The IRS tiebreaker rules for unmarried parents living together typically favor the parent with higher AGI. However, don't overlook the Earned Income Credit (EIC) - even with your lower income of $27k, you might still be eligible for EIC if you claim your child, and sometimes that can be more valuable than the Child Tax Credit your boyfriend would get. The EIC is specifically designed to help lower-income working families and phases out at higher incomes. My suggestion would be to use tax software or consult a professional to run both scenarios - him claiming vs you claiming - and see which gives your household the better overall refund. Sometimes the math isn't as obvious as it first appears, especially when factoring in all the different credits and filing statuses available to each of you. Also keep in mind that whichever one of you doesn't claim the child will need to file as Single rather than Head of Household, so factor that into your calculations too. Good luck navigating your first tax season as parents!

As someone who's been through this exact situation, I completely understand your confusion! The good news is that you have some time to figure this out before next tax season. One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that you should also consider the timing of when you stopped working. Since you only worked part of the year and had relatively low income ($27k), you might be surprised at how the Earned Income Credit could work in your favor if you claim your child. The EIC is refundable, meaning you can get money back even if you don't owe any taxes, and it's specifically designed to help working parents with lower incomes. Here's what I'd recommend: Keep detailed records of who pays for what throughout this year - housing costs, childcare, medical expenses for your child, etc. This documentation will be helpful regardless of who ends up claiming your son. Also, since you're both new to this, consider using tax preparation software that can run "what-if" scenarios, or even better, consult with a tax professional for your first year filing with a dependent. The cost of professional advice is usually much less than the potential money you could lose by not optimizing your tax situation correctly. The most important thing is that only ONE of you claims your child - never both! That would definitely trigger an audit. But taking the time to figure out the optimal approach for your specific situation will be worth it in the long run.

I'm in the exact same boat as you! Still waiting on my 1095-A and getting more frustrated by the day. I called the Healthcare Marketplace last week and they told me there's been unusual delays this year due to "system updates" - whatever that means. The rep said they're prioritizing cases where people had mid-year coverage changes or income updates, which explains why some people are getting theirs while others aren't. She couldn't give me a specific timeline but said most should be available by the end of this month. One thing that helped me was setting up notifications in my marketplace account - you can get an email alert as soon as your 1095-A is posted online instead of constantly checking. At least that way I'm not refreshing the page ten times a day! Hang in there - we'll get through this tax season eventually. The wait is definitely more painful when you can see that refund just sitting there waiting for one stupid form.

I've been dealing with this exact frustration! After waiting weeks for my 1095-A, I finally got some actionable advice from a tax preparer friend. If you haven't already, try calling the Marketplace early in the morning (around 8 AM EST) - the wait times are significantly shorter then. Also, if you had ANY changes to your policy during 2024 (income updates, address changes, family size changes, etc.), your form likely requires manual review which is causing the delay. The automated system can't process these cases and they have to be handled individually. One tip that worked for me: when you do get through to a representative, ask them to check if your form is "pending manual review" and if so, request they escalate it for processing. Don't just ask when it'll be ready - be specific about requesting escalation. I got mine released to my online account within 48 hours after making this request. The waiting game is brutal when you can see your refund just sitting there, but hang in there! Most people I know who were in similar situations got their forms within the last two weeks of February.

Pro tip: get your transcript instead of checking WMR. Way more accurate. If you need help reading it use taxr.ai - saved me hours of googling random codes

Same here! Filed early January and got hit with the PATH delay message. From what I've read, if you claimed EITC or Additional Child Tax Credit, the IRS legally can't release your refund until after February 15th. It's supposed to protect against fraud but honestly just feels like we're being punished for claiming credits we're entitled to. At least now I know to expect my refund around late February instead of getting my hopes up checking WMR every day 😅

This is a really comprehensive discussion! As someone who's been through this exact situation, I want to emphasize one more crucial point: make sure you're keeping contemporaneous records throughout the year, not trying to recreate them at tax time. I used to think I could just rely on my bank statements and credit card records to figure out my gambling activity when tax season rolled around, but that approach is really problematic. Bank records show you withdrew $200 from an ATM at a casino, but they don't show whether you won $500 or lost the entire $200 that day. The IRS specifically wants to see a gambling log or diary that's maintained as you go. It should include the date, location, type of gambling, people you were with (if any), and amounts won or lost. I keep a simple note on my phone after each casino visit or online gambling session - it takes 30 seconds but saves hours of headaches later. Also, don't forget to save any documentation like casino player card statements, tickets, receipts, and definitely any W-2G forms. Even if your player card doesn't track every bet (like when you switch games or play without using it), having partial records is still much better than trying to estimate everything later. Start your record-keeping system now for 2025 - your future self will thank you!

One aspect that hasn't been mentioned yet is how state taxes can complicate gambling reporting. Different states have varying rules for gambling income - some states don't tax gambling winnings at all, while others have specific thresholds or rates. If you gamble in multiple states (like visiting casinos in different states or online gambling where the platform is based in another state), you might need to file non-resident returns in those states depending on your winnings amounts. This can get particularly complex with online gambling since the legal landscape varies so much by state. I learned this when I won a decent amount at a casino in a neighboring state during a weekend trip. Even though I was just visiting, I had to file a non-resident state return there because my winnings exceeded their threshold. The casino also withheld state taxes that I had to account for. Make sure to research your state's specific gambling tax rules and keep track of where your gambling activities occur, not just the federal requirements. Your state might have different record-keeping requirements or thresholds that affect how you report everything.