Do you file taxes jointly? For which tax years?

“Do you file taxes jointly? For which tax years?” is a practice question about money and joint records for a marriage-based green card interview at a USCIS field office. A real officer may ask it in other words, ask something else, or skip it. Practice can help you explain your own facts. It cannot tell you what USCIS will decide.

What is the officer checking with this question?

The officer may ask how your tax filing history relates to your married life and the information in your case. Naming the tax years helps separate one return from another. The question may also lead to a request about returns at the appointment, but it does not tell you which filing choice to make.

What might the officer ask next?

• Which tax year was covered by your most recent return?
• Was your filing status the same in the previous year?
• Do you have the returns you mentioned with you today?

The next question usually comes from the words in your answer. If you name a person, a place, or a month, expect a question about it. The guide to green card interview follow-up questions explains how to practice past the first answer.

How do you prepare to answer it?

Check the filing status you actually used for each year before practicing. Keep the year covered by a return separate from the year you sent it. Do not call a return joint just because you both helped prepare it. If a year is unclear, say you do not remember until you can check. Ask your lawyer about case concerns and follow your interview notice for what to bring; this question is not tax advice.

Answer from your own memory, in your own words. Do not learn a script or a sample answer. If your spouse remembers a detail differently, first check whether you mean the same event. Ask your lawyer about any concern with your forms or documents.

Can you practice this question out loud for free?

Yes. Choose "Answer it now, free". The officer asks this question first. You answer out loud, and the officer follows up on what you said. You can try 3 questions free, and you do not need documents. Feedback comes after the session, not while you speak.

More money and joint records questions

• Do you have any joint bank accounts? Which bank?
• Who usually pays the household bills?
• Do you share any insurance policies, such as health, auto, or life insurance?
• Do you have joint credit cards or loans in both names?
• Are paychecks from both spouses deposited into the same account or separate accounts?
• What vehicles do you currently drive, and are any loans still owed on them?
• Did you bring any updated joint financial records to today’s appointment that were not in your earlier filing?
• How do you and your spouse divide day-to-day expenses?

Read the money and joint records topic guide, or see all 91 interview questions.