Get double deduction with ITIN

Are you keen to file your annual tax return as the status of MFJ(married filing jointly), but your spouse or offspring does not have SSN? The benefit difference between Single and MFJ is significant because you can get double in the standard deduction amount, child care benefits, AOTC(American opportunity tax credit), and so forth.

Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or ITIN for short is necessary to fulfill these requirements, and the process is straightforward. There are three documents we need to prepare:

(1) Certificate of Passport Copy

Visit your local embassy to get your passport certified. Due to the high call volume, you'd better find the process via the website. It may take around one month to receive a response from them upon your reservation is submitted.

(2) Form 1040 (Nonfiler form)

You might already know of form 1040. The form is the primary form for the individual taxpayers to IRS, federal government tax service. Download the previous year's form from the link at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf

You need to describe the section of 'Your social security number' as "APPLIED FOR" and fill out the rest of the other general parts according to your status. See the example below.

(3) Form W-7

The application form for ITIN. See the example below and don't forget to sign on the signature box.

Mailing address:

With that being said, you need to have your ITIN issued at least before you file the current year's tax return because your additional benefits through ITIN are not retroactive. So, double-check all your documents so as not to miss any required section.

Question

Q1) How many weeks does it take until ITIN is issued and notified to the applicant via mail?

Answer) 6 weeks to 8 weeks including, IRS mail delivery time.

Q2) What if IRS did not process the application due to incorrect input?

Answer) IRS will send the original documents to the applicant's address with the description of the causes.

Q3) What is the direct call number which can access the ITIN department?

Answer) 800-908-9982 (Ext. 1 > 2)

Q4) Is it possible to do an amended tax return for the current year(i.e., 2020) after the spouse or dependent gets the ITIN?

Answer) For the current year(i.e., 2020), YES.