Foreign Spouses Complicate Tax Stimulus Check Eligibility

Here's the latest word on issues surrounding the tax stimulus checks that may be of specific interest to women: Foreign-born spouses can complicate the situation. If a spouse does not have a Social Security number and the couple has filed jointly, neither spouse is eligible.

This is of particular concern to many highly-skilled immigrants in the U.S. on work visas who are married to foreigners, and to U.S. service personnel. In BusinessWeek.com, an AP article highlights the problems:

Many of the couples snagged by this provision weren't aware that filing taxes using the foreign spouse's IRS-issued Taxpayer Identification Number instead of a Social Security number would cut them out. On April 14, the day before the tax deadline, the IRS clarified the situation on its Web site....

Sheila Reed, who works at Command Navy Region Europe in Naples, Italy, said she filed taxes together with her husband, who still uses the IRS Taxpayer Identification Number.

"I don't feel this is fair because I pay taxes like any other U.S. citizen," she told Stars and Stripes, a newspaper published for the U.S. military and other Department of Defense personnel. "It's not right. I have three kids."