Recently married, foreign spouse. Currently resides with me for only for 3 months. He didn’t earn any income during those 3 months we’ve been married. Is his income 0?

If you file a joint tax return, you have to include all income he earned during the year on the tax return. If he paid foreign taxes, you may be able to get a credit for those.

To enter to foreign earned income in TurboTax not reported on a W-2 form:

1. In the Federal section of TurboTax navigate Wages and Income or Personal Income
2. Find the Less Common Income section and choose Foreign Earned Income and Exclusion
3. Say Yes on the screen that says Did You Make Any Money Outside the United States?
4. Choose what form the foreign income was reported on and proceed through that section

To apply for a credit for foreign taxes paid or accrued during the year:

1. From the Federal section of TurboTax, go to the Deductions and Credits section

2. Find Estimates and Other Taxes Paid

3. Choose Foreign Taxes

4. Indicate that you paid foreign taxes or have credits from prior years

5. Work through the section until you see an option to take a deduction or credit, the credit is usually better

6. Complete the rest of the section

The foreign tax credit can only be used to the extent it reduces taxes on foreign income, so often the credit is less than the foreign tax paid in the current year. Any unused credit can be carried over to future years.