12/28/2020
Last night, on Sunday 27th December 2020, President Trump signed the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020 (COVIDTRA) into law. The Act passed through both houses early last week, however the president didn’t sign it sooner as he was unhappy with the amount of the second stimulus check that it contained, alongside other economic relief […]
12/02/2020
Back in March 2020, the CARES Act mandated a one-off stimulus payment for American individuals to help offset the economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Stimulus payments were worth a maximum of $1,200 per American citizen (so $2,400 for couples filing jointly if both are Americans), and $500 per dependent child. A second stimulus check […]
07/29/2020
12/28/2020 – Update: A second stimulus check was finally approved at the very end of December 2020. Please read this article for more information. This week, the Republicans announced a new stimulus plan called the HEALS (Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools) Act. The plan contains a provision for a second round of stimulus […]
06/08/2020
12/25/2020 – UPDATE On Monday 21st December, Congress agreed a bipartisan stimulus package, including a $600 stimulus check for all American individuals, including expats, along with an additional $600 for spouses and dependents. President Trump initially considered $600 too little, and requested a $2,000 payment. Republicans in congress disagree though. President Trump has now signed […]
05/26/2020
The IRS has found an innovative answer to the question of how to deliver Coronavirus Relief Stimulus Payments to Americans, including expats, who haven’t provided details of a US bank account, in the form of a prepaid debit card. The Stimulus Payments, referred to as Economic Impact Payments (or EIPs by the IRS), were made available […]
05/18/2020
Expats were included in the provision for Americans to receive Stimulus Payments in the Coronavirus relief CARES Act that became law on March 27th. The Stimulus Payments are worth a maximum of $1,200 per adult, and $500 per dependent child. Spouses and dependants need to have a US social security number to qualify for the additional […]
05/12/2020
Stimulus Payments for Americans, including expats, were announced as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed on March 27th. The purpose of the Stimulus Payments is to provide financial assistance to Americans impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak. As of Friday May 8th, the IRS had sent 595,548 CARES Act Stimulus Payments to […]
05/05/2020
The IRS introduced the Get My Payment tool in mid April to allow Americans to provide their US bank details and so receive a stimulus check by direct deposit rather than a mailed check. The tool is applicable for Americans who haven’t provided their US bank details in their 2018 or 2019 tax returns, and […]
05/04/2020
The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act provides a one-time Stimulus Payment to Americans, including expats, based on certain criteria. The payment is intended to help those whose incomes have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak and the measures implemented by governments to limit its spread. In this article we look at how […]
04/30/2020
US expats are required to file a US tax return, reporting their worldwide income, wherever in the world they live. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is an IRS provision that expats can claim that helps them reduce their US tax bill, often to zero, when they file from abroad. This year though, due to the […]