Filing US taxes as an immigrant family turned out to be less about the forms and more about the waiting. Waiting for a W-2, waiting for the kids’ ITINs to arrive, and finally waiting for a refund that showed up at the end of June.
I’d already filed once before, in 2025, as a nonresident in California. This time was different — I was filing as a resident, with income connected to two states, and needed ITINs for both kids.
Why This Year Was More Complicated
I first arrived in California in December 2024, which is why that earlier return was a nonresident one. Then a visa issue sent me back to Korea in July 2025, and when I re-entered in August, it was into Georgia. This was the first time I filed as a U.S. resident, and it had to cover two states.
My wife has an SSN but doesn’t work, so we filed jointly. The kids weren’t born here and don’t have SSNs, which meant ITINs. I’ve written about that process separately. In our case, the kids’ ITIN applications were submitted together with our tax return, so the two ended up being one job, handled by the same CPA.
What the CPA Needed
The usual paperwork came first: my W-2 and the bank interest statement. We couldn’t file until the W-2 from my previous employer came in, so everything waited on that.
After that, two things I hadn’t expected. The CPA asked for a copy of last year’s return, the nonresident California one. And my wife and I both still have accounts, insurance, and stock in Korea, all of which had to be included, with nothing left out. For the kids, that information wasn’t collected at all. No Korean accounts, no insurance details.
How Long It Actually Took
- Early February: the return went in
- The CPA told us the return couldn’t move forward until the kids’ ITINs were delivered
- Early May: the ITINs arrived
- End of June: the refund came
That’s nearly five months from the day we filed to the day the money came back. In our case, it took about three months for the ITINs themselves.
What I Still Don’t Know
I can’t tell you how the kids’ tax credits worked out. The CPA never sent me a summary, and I didn’t receive any documents explaining it, so I don’t know exactly how the kids were treated on the return. I know a refund came. That’s about as much as I can say.
What It Cost
Filing US taxes as an immigrant with a CPA cost us $700 in total. That was $200 per child for the ITIN applications (two kids, so $400), plus the tax filing itself, which made up the remaining $300.
If I had to do it again, I’d start the process earlier. The $700 wasn’t the biggest issue. The waiting was.
Related reading:
- ITIN vs SSN for My Kids: What Actually Happened When We Filed Taxes
- Opening a Bank Account and Building Credit in the US
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you file your return before your child’s ITIN arrives?
In our case, no. The ITIN applications went in with the return, and our CPA told us the return couldn’t move forward until the kids’ ITINs had been delivered. We filed in early February and the ITINs arrived in early May.
How much does it cost to file with a CPA when you also need ITINs?
We paid $700 in total: $200 per child for the ITIN applications (two children), plus about $300 for the joint return covering two states. Yours will depend on the CPA and how many ITINs you need.