Married to illegal alien can i still file jointly?

[socal888]

Hi my name is Joseph and i live in California. I am married and wasnt sure if i should file as married filing jointly because my wife doesnt have a social security number but she said that she always files her taxes using a special number that is so she can file but she cant get anything back because she's here illegally.

 

[LdiJ]

Hi my name is Joseph and i live in California. I am married and wasnt sure if i should file as married filing jointly because my wife doesnt have a social security number but she said that she always files her taxes using a special number that is so she can file but she cant get anything back because she's here illegally.

Your wife quite possibly has an ITIN number. That is a number that allows her to file a tax return despite the fact that she may not be a legal resident of the US.

If she has one, then you can file a joint return with her. If she doesn't have one, you can apply for one for her with your 2009 tax return. See a tax professional for more information.