WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE IRS NON-RESIDENT TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
WHAT IS A NON-RESIDENT TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (ITIN)?
The full name of the individual tax return number issued by the Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is “Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)”. The number of digits is usually 7 or 8. According to the US tax law, regardless of the way an individual enters the United States and whether he has a legal residence status in the United States, he should pay tax.
The ITIN number is issued to American residents (Residents) or non-residents (Non-Residents) who do not receive a “social security card”. The main function is to pay taxes or file for tax refunds, and record their work in the United States. The application is not considered when issuing the immigration status of the person. Anyone who does not have a “Social Security Card” but needs to pay taxes can apply for an Individual Tax Identification Number.
The Federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is different from the USCIS Department of Immigration (USCIS). USCIS stands for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Whether legal work is not the purpose of IRS enforcement, legal tax payment is the main purpose of IRS. The two departments of IRS and USCIS are independent of each other and do not share information. Therefore, taxpayers should not be bothered about whether their tax filing will affect the immigration status of the applicant.
It is important to note that having an American Individual Tax Return Number (ITIN) does not mean that you can work legally in the United States. It does not also mean that you can enjoy preferential benefits such as American Social Security and low-income tax credits. By law, an alien cannot possess both an Individual Tax Identification Number and a Social Security Number.
CRITERIA TO MEET TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ITIN
In order for non-residents to be eligible for an ITIN, they must fall into at least one of the following categories:
Non- resident aliens who are required to file a US tax return
US resident alien (based on number of days staying in the US) who is filing a US tax return
Dependent or spouse of a US citizen / resident alien
Non-resident alien claiming a tax treaty benefit
Non-resident alien students, professors or researchers filing a US tax return or claiming an exception;
Spouse of non-resident alien visa holder such as the H4 visa holder;
HOW TO APPLY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
Submit the tax return for the previous year
In order to prove that the purpose of applying for an ITIN is to file a tax return, the applicant must attach an annual tax return with a tax return of 1040NR or 1040 when applying for an ITIN. If the applicant cannot prove that the purpose of applying for an ITIN is to file a tax return, the application will be rejected. A small number of non-residents who apply for tax IDs (Non-Residents) apply for ITIN in order to comply with tax provisions and report on their deposits or transactions with U.S. banks and stock exchanges. They do not need to submit annual tax returns when applying for ITIN, but they must apply Provide proof of property.
Fill in the form W-7
The full name of Form W-7 is “Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number“. The form is also used to renew existing tax identification numbers too. The form is for non-residents who are not eligible to receive a social security number but need to file a federal tax return with the IRS.It is necessary to fill in the applicant’s name, address, passport
and visa. This form can be completed through online application. Also verify that all the information provided on the form is correct and they match your supporting documentation. As soon as you are ready to file your federal income tax return, you should complete the w-7 form because you will need to attach the return to your IDENTIFICATION NUMBER application. Those who meet one of the exceptions provided by the IRS should submit the form w-7 along with the required documents if they don’t need to file a return.