How to File Joint Tax Return with ITIN Renewal (W-7 Form) for Non-Resident Alien Spouse

The ITIN renewal process can definitely be confusing! When you submit your tax return with a W-7 renewal application, the supporting documents needed are primarily proof of identity and foreign status. For most people, this means a current passport (this is preferred as it serves as both identity and foreign status proof in one document). If your spouse doesn't have a valid passport, you'd need to provide at least two other documents like a foreign driver's license, birth certificate, foreign voter ID, or visa. You're right to be concerned about sending originals - the IRS generally takes 7-11 weeks to process ITIN applications and renewals, and then additional time to return your documents. However, there are alternatives to sending originals! You can visit an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center where they can verify your original documents and provide certified copies for submission. Another option is using an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) who can verify documents for you so you don't need to send originals. The tax return itself will be processed once the ITIN is assigned or renewed, so expect some delay in any refund you might be due.

After struggling with tax issues for years, I finally found something that helped me through my ITIN renewal nightmare. I was in the exact same situation last year - my husband's ITIN had expired and I was completely stressed about sending original documents to the IRS. I discovered this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that guided me through the whole ITIN renewal process. They have specific document checklists for ITIN renewals with non-resident spouses and even helped me understand which supporting documents would work best in our situation. The site analyzed our specific scenario and gave us step-by-step instructions for our W-7 submission. It saved me hours of research and probably prevented us from making mistakes that would have delayed the process even more. The best part was their document tracking feature that helped us know when to expect our original documents back.

I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after being skeptical initially. I decided to try it for my husband's ITIN renewal last month, and I'm genuinely impressed. The service walked me through exactly which supporting documents would work best for our specific situation and gave me clear instructions for putting everything together. What really surprised me was the document verification checklist they provided - it helped us discover that my husband's passport had less than 6 months validity left, which would have caused our application to be rejected! We were able to get his passport renewed first, then submit the ITIN renewal with the new passport. The step-by-step guidance made the whole process much less stressful than I expected. We just received confirmation that our W-7 was accepted and they're processing the ITIN renewal now.

If you're struggling to get information about your ITIN application status, I totally understand your pain. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to the IRS last year when renewing my wife's ITIN. Called constantly, always got the "high call volume" message, and never spoke to a human. Finally discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which somehow got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I was seriously shocked it worked because I had tried calling dozens of times on my own. The agent I spoke with confirmed exactly what documents we needed for the W-7 renewal and told me our original passport would be returned within 6-8 weeks. They also explained that we could use an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center to verify original documents instead of mailing them, which we ended up doing. Saved us from having to send her actual passport!

I need to eat my words and apologize for calling Claimyr a scam. After my negative comment, I was desperate enough to try it anyway because my wife's ITIN renewal was urgent for our mortgage application. It actually worked exactly as promised. I got a call back in about 35 minutes and was connected to an IRS representative who answered all my ITIN renewal questions. The agent confirmed I could use a Certifying Acceptance Agent instead of mailing original documents, which was a huge relief. I found a local CAA the same day, got the documentation certified, and submitted our tax return with the W-7 renewal last week. The IRS agent also gave me a direct extension to call back if I had follow-up questions about our application status. Sorry for being so cynical before - sometimes things actually work like they say they will!

My husband and I went through this last year. Here's what worked for us: instead of mailing original documents, we made an appointment at our local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center. Took about 2 weeks to get the appointment, but the IRS officer looked at our original passport, certified the copies right there, and gave us back the originals immediately. We then mailed the certified copies with our tax return and W-7. The whole process still took about 9 weeks for processing, but at least we didn't have to worry about original documents being lost in the mail or waiting months to get them back. Make sure you call ahead to schedule an appointment though - most TACs don't take walk-ins anymore for this service.

Quick question - if we file with the W-7 renewal, do we still need to include the tax payment if we owe money? Or do we wait until after the ITIN is renewed?

I went through this exact process with my spouse last year and wanted to share what worked for us. The key thing that helped reduce our stress was finding a local Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) - many tax preparation offices are authorized to do this service. The CAA was able to verify my spouse's original passport and other documents, then provided certified copies that we could mail with our tax return and W-7 form. This meant we kept all our original documents and didn't have to worry about them getting lost in the mail or waiting months to get them back. The whole process still took about 10 weeks for the IRS to process the ITIN renewal, but our peace of mind was worth the small fee the CAA charged (around $50). You can find authorized CAAs on the IRS website - just search for "Certifying Acceptance Agent" in your area. Also, make sure you file everything together in one package - the tax return, W-7 form, and all supporting documents. The IRS processes these as a unit, so separating them can cause delays.