Publication 54 |
2001 Tax Year |
Nonresident Spouse Treated as a Resident
If, at the end of your tax year, you are married and one spouse is
a U.S. citizen or a resident alien and the other is a nonresident
alien, you can choose to treat the nonresident as a U.S. resident.
This includes situations in which one of you is a nonresident alien at
the beginning of the tax year and a resident alien at the end of the
year and the other is a nonresident alien at the end of the year.
If you make this choice, the following two rules apply.
- You and your spouse are treated, for income tax purposes, as
residents for all tax years that the choice is in effect.
- You must file a joint income tax return for the year you
make the choice.
This means that neither of you can claim tax treaty benefits as
a resident of a foreign country for a tax year for which the choice is
in effect. You can file joint or separate returns in years after the
year in which you make the choice.
Example 1.
Pat Smith, a U.S. citizen, is married to Norman, a nonresident
alien. Pat and Norman make the choice to treat Norman as a resident
alien by attaching a statement to their joint return. Pat and Norman
must report their worldwide income for the year they make the choice
and for all later years unless the choice is ended or suspended.
Although Pat and Norman must file a joint return for the year they
make the choice, they can file either joint or separate returns for
later years.
Example 2.
Bob and Sharon Williams are married and both are nonresident
aliens. In June of last year, Bob became a resident alien and remained
a resident for the rest of the year. Bob and Sharon both choose to be
treated as resident aliens by attaching a statement to their joint
return for last year. Bob and Sharon must report their worldwide
income for last year and all later years unless the choice is ended or
suspended. Bob and Sharon must file a joint return for last year, but
they can file either joint or separate returns for later years.
Social Security
Number (SSN)
If your spouse is a nonresident alien and you file a joint or
separate return, your spouse must have either an SSN or an individual
taxpayer identification number (ITIN).
To get an SSN for your spouse, apply at a social security office or
U.S. consulate. You must complete Form SS-5. You must also
provide original or certified copies of documents to verify your
spouse's age, identity, and citizenship.
If your spouse is not eligible to get an SSN, he or she can file
Form W-7 with the IRS to apply for an ITIN.
How To Make the Choice
Attach a statement, signed by both spouses, to your joint return
for the first tax year for which the choice applies. It should contain
the following:
- A declaration that one spouse was a nonresident alien and
the other spouse a U.S. citizen or resident alien on the last day of
your tax year and that you choose to be treated as U.S. residents for
the entire tax year, and
- The name, address, and social security number (or individual
taxpayer identification number) of each spouse. (If one spouse died,
include the name and address of the person making the choice for the
deceased spouse.)
You generally make this choice when you file your joint return.
However, you can also make the choice by filing a joint amended return
on Form 1040 or Form 1040A. Be sure to print the word "Amended"
across the top of the amended return. If you make the choice with an
amended return, you and your spouse must also amend any returns that
you may have filed after the year for which you made the choice.
You generally must file the amended joint return within 3 years
from the date you filed your original U.S. income tax return or 2
years from the date you paid your income tax for that year, whichever
is later.
Suspending the Choice
The choice to be treated as a resident alien does not apply to any
later tax year if neither of you is a U.S. citizen or resident alien
at any time during the later tax year.
Example.
Dick Brown was a resident alien on December 31, 1998, and married
to Judy, a nonresident alien. They chose to treat Judy as a resident
alien and filed a joint 1998 income tax return. On January 10, 2000,
Dick became a nonresident alien. Judy had remained a nonresident
alien. Dick and Judy can file joint or separate returns for 2000.
Neither Dick nor Judy was a resident alien at any time during 2001 and
their choice is suspended for that year. For 2001, both are treated as
nonresident aliens. If Dick becomes a resident alien again in 2002,
their choice is no longer suspended and both are treated as resident
aliens.
Figure 1-A. Ending the Choice
Ending the Choice
Once made, the choice to be treated as a resident applies to all
later years unless suspended (as explained above) or ended in one of
the ways shown in Figure 1-A.
If the choice is ended for any of the reasons listed in Figure
1-A, neither spouse can make a choice in any later tax
year.
If you do not choose to treat your nonresident spouse as a U.S.
resident, you may be able to use head of household filing status. To
use this status, you must pay more than half the cost of maintaining a
household for certain dependents or relatives other than your
nonresident alien spouse. For more information, see Publication 501.
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