David is a U.S. citizen working in tech. His wife Mei lives in China on a tourist visa. By obtaining an ITIN for Mei and making the §6013(g) election, they filed jointly and claimed the $31,500 standard deduction — saving over $8,200 compared to David filing separately.
Rafael needed a U.S. bank account to receive payments from U.S. clients without wire transfer fees. With his ITIN, he opened a U.S. checking account and eliminated $150–300/month in unnecessary fees.
Wei had no U.S. credit history and no SSN. With his ITIN, he was approved for a secured credit card, opened a credit file with all three major bureaus, and upgraded to an unsecured card within a year.
When David sold his Florida condo, escrow withheld $18,750 under FIRPTA — 15% of the sale price. With an ITIN, he filed a 1040-NR and recovered most of it based on his actual capital gain.
Arjun's U.S. brokerage (Interactive Brokers) withheld 30% on his dividends and interest. After getting his ITIN, he filed a 1040-NR and recovered the over-withheld amount — and stopped future withholding entirely.