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July 12, 2020
Question

How do I file form 8615 if my parents don't have SSN or ITIN? I also can't print out to file since I'm abroad.

  • July 12, 2020
  • 1 reply
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I have a form 1099-MISC for a prize money, but it then directs me to 8615, which I couldn't continue without filling out my parent's SSN.

1 reply

rjs
Employee
July 12, 2020

Are you a U.S. citizen or resident alien? If not, if you are a nonresident alien, you cannot use TurboTax to file your tax return.


If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the IRS apparently never considered the possibility of someone being required to file Form 8615 whose parents are foreign. They do not provide any instructions or guidance for this situation. I can suggest two alternatives.


For 2019 you have the option to use trust and estate tax rates on Form 8615 instead of your parents' tax rate. That eliminates the need to enter any information about your parents, but it would probably make your tax higher. To choose this option, when TurboTax asks if you would like to calculate your tax based on pre-TCJA rules, answer No.


(If you choose this option, there is a known bug in the TurboTax interview that makes it ask for your parents' information even though you are not using the pre-TCJA rules. But it does the tax calculation correctly using the new rules. So you can enter anything you like just to get through the questions. TurboTax is not going to use the parents' information that you enter.)


The other alternative requires printing your tax return and filing by mail. I don't understand why you can't do that. You can file by mail from another country.


When TurboTax asks whether your parents are filing a joint tax return for 2019, answer Yes, even though they aren't. When it asks for your parents' taxable income, enter zero. That is true, since they have no U.S. taxable income. Leave all the other income questions blank. Also leave your parent's Social Security Number blank. When the error check tells you that the SSN must be entered, just click Continue. You will not be able to e-file. Print the tax return. In the space for the parent's Social Security number on Form 8615, write NRA (for NonResident Alien). File the return by mail.