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I have a special situation in that I am a US citizen but my spouse is a non-resident alien, and I myself also live overseas. So far I have only found that HR Block Taxes for Expats lets me e-file married filing separately when my spouse has no ITIN/SSN. Turbo tax made me enter an ITIN/SSN to e-file. I was wondering if there is anyone knows of a free e-file software that doesn't require an NRA spouse to enter their ITIN/SSN?

Thanks in advance,

Philip

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    I'd be interested to see if the IRS' own Free File Fillable allows it. But you'd have to set up an account with IRS to see: irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms
    – Orange Coast- reinstate Monica
    Feb 16, 2022 at 17:02
  • Thanks, my taxes are relatively simple so this year I just printed out the various documents (referencing my last year's taxes handled by HR Block's software) and filled it out by hand and mailed it in
    – Philip
    Feb 19, 2022 at 0:14

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Social Security Number

If your spouse is a nonresident alien and you file a joint or separate return, your spouse must have either a Social Security Number (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. Refer to Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN) for more information.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-alien-spouse

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    Thanks. This seems to contradict what is said in money.stackexchange.com/questions/119406/… I guess IRS is also fallible I believe it should still be okay to write NRA though instead of an ITIN
    – Philip
    Feb 23, 2021 at 13:42
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    @Philip: Although the TY2020 1040 instructions (issued in Jan and revised in Feb, both more recent than that webpage) continue to say the same as #119406 said for 2019, that is you can write in NRA -- at least on paper; whether a FreeFile app supports this could be a different question, as they aren't required to support all possible filers below the threshold. Of course if you do file W7 you must attach it to a paper return, you can't efile at all (free or paid).
    – dave_thompson_085
    Feb 24, 2021 at 6:18

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