Separated, 2nd year in India and confused about US taxes

J

jobs.research

New Member
Hello Everyone,

I have been trying to search tax related questions online but havent been able to find much information. My case is as follows: -

We returned to India in 2008 October. We have OCI. After returning to India, my husband and I got separated. My husband filed for the taxes in 2008 but I have no idea what taxes he filed etc. He didnt tell me anything and neither he gave me the tax filing info etc. I had been struggling all this while to get a job, to settle my son, and through all the upheavals that life was throwing at me. Now I am sitting in 2010. I have a job here in India which is not highly paying; and no earning or bank account in the US. Do I need to file for the US taxes and what all do I need to do the same? I will have to file separately. What info do I need from my husband (soon to be ex)? I have no clue and I am really jittery. Can I claim my son as dependent? Will there be any problem as i didnt file for any taxes for 2008?

Please help! or Let me know if I need to get in touch with proper authorities...

Thanks!
 
If you are a US citizen, you are to pay taxes on world wide income. You will receive credits for taxes paid in India. It sounds as though no US taxes would be due given the low income you report. Given this being the case, don't worry. Look here for more information about who must file:

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96623,00.html


You would have had to sign a joint US tax return. If so, you can obtain a "tax transcript" from the IRS showing past filings.

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=110571,00.html

This may have be useful in your divorce as it would have listed various US holdings that may have been partly yours.

If you should file and your husband does as well, there is a form that determines who gets to claim the deduction. This is normally addressed in a US divorce decree. You should consider adding it to yours if possible.

Look at this document:

http://www.irs.gov/app/vita/globalmedia/p504.pdf

Pay careful attention to the child dependent section; I believe it will help you with the question about your child.

When in doubt, file even if you owe no taxes. It is easy to do for low income filers.

Good luck for the future!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top