Expat Tax Forms

Foreign mutual funds and ETFs can look like perfectly ordinary investments—until the U.S. tax rules classify them as Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFICs). When that happens, you may need to file Form 8621, report income each year and follow a tax regime that bears little resemblance to the rules for U.S. funds. At Bright!Tax, we […]

Form 4868 extends the federal tax filing deadline to October 15 for most individual taxpayers. For qualifying Americans abroad, who already receive an automatic extension to June 15, it provides another four months to finish the return. The catch is that Form 4868 extends your filing deadline—not your payment deadline. At Bright!Tax, we often see […]

Form 2350 gives certain Americans abroad more time to file when they won’t qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion or foreign housing benefits until after their tax return is due. It isn’t a general extension, and it doesn’t give you longer to pay—but it can prevent you from having to file once without the […]

A tax treaty can help prevent the same income from being taxed twice. But if you use one to change how U.S. tax law applies to you, you may need to disclose that claim to the IRS on Form 8833. Not every treaty benefit requires the form. Here’s how to determine whether yours does, which […]

Wondering who exactly needs to file this form, how to do it, and why it matters? We’ll answer all of these questions and more below.

Opening a bank account in your new home country can feel like a small life-admin victory. To the U.S. government, though, it may also make you an offshore account holder with a new reporting obligation: FinCEN Form 114.  FinCEN Form 114, better known as the FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report,), is an informational report. It […]

If your life involves visas, travel days, remote work, or U.S. investments, your tax season is rarely a simple, single-page affair. The IRS doesn’t track your cross-border income on a standard tax return. Instead, it requires Form 1040-NR. Form 1040-NR, or the U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return, is used by non-U.S. citizens to report […]

There are few better calls than a relative overseas offering to send money. Whether your parents are chipping in for a down payment or a grandparent leaves you an inheritance, you thank them, double-check your routing number, and wait for the wire. Then Form 3520 taps you on the shoulder. Form 3520 is an annual […]

If you missed foreign income, used the wrong exclusion, or left out a form tied to overseas accounts, Form 1040-X is how you fix it. For U.S. expats, these kinds of mistakes are common, especially when you’re dealing with multiple tax systems, delayed foreign documents, or unfamiliar reporting requirements. The good news is that a […]

If you run an online business, freelance, or sell goods while living abroad, you might receive IRS Form 1099-K. It reports payment transactions processed through platforms like PayPal, Stripe, or online marketplaces, rather than your actual profit or amount you ultimately owe in tax. Because Form 1099-K reflects total transactions rather than net earnings, it […]