No one wants to
pay taxes in the US, but basically, anyone living and working in the US, must
pay taxes, with the exception of a few non-resident visas.
Undocumented immigrants or individuals who are living and
working in the US without any visa or authorization are required to pay taxes
just like everyone else and are able to do so using Taxpayer Identification
Since the Social Security Administration generally does not
issue Social Security Numbers to individuals who are not legally in the US, without
any Social Security Number, how were undocumented persons going to be able to
file tax returns and pay taxes? In
response, the Internal Revenue Service decided to issue TIN numbers directly to
anyone wishing to pay taxes to the IRS.
The IRS will always accept money!
TIN numbers are used for filing tax returns and paying taxes only. They do not provide any permission to work. In
addition, the IRS does not report undocumented persons to the US Citizenship
and Immigration Services (Immigration).
The IRS is only interested in collecting the money that is owed in
taxes.
Anyone can obtain a TIN number. It is free, and can be obtained directly by
filing IRS Form W-7. The form can be
downloaded online and sent to Internal Revenue Services, ITIN Operation, Mail
Stop 6090-AUSC, 3651 S. Interregional, Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78741-0000.
There is no filing fee.
Undocumented immigrants pay sales tax every time they purchase
an item. They pay gasoline taxes, liquor
and cigarette taxes. Many undocumented
immigrants own property and pay property taxes which support our schools,
hospitals, police, and fire personnel.
Many undocumented persons pay rent, and the rent that they pay is
calculated by their landlords so that a portion covers the cost of the property
taxes.
When undocumented persons file a tax return using a TIN
number, they pay into our Social Security System if they are paid through
payroll deductions, but they are not eligible to receive Social Security
benefits. This means that they are
paying into our system, and not taking out any of the benefit. They are not eligible for food stamps,
welfare benefits, or tax refunds.
Most undocumented persons know that when they finally are
able to file to become legal permanent residents with US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (Immigration), they will likely have to show that they
have been paying their taxes. For this
reason, many undocumented persons start paying their taxes as soon as they
obtain their TIN numbers.
