US Tax News

The US requires all Americans to file US taxes every year, reporting their worldwide income. This includes Americans living abroad. Additionally, American expats have to claim exemptions such as the Foreign Tax Credit and the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion to reduce their US tax bill. Most US taxpayers living abroad can reduce their US tax bill to […]

All American citizens and Green Card holders are required to file a US federal tax return every year, reporting their global income, even if they live abroad. Americans may also have to report any foreign registered businesses, financial assets, and bank or investment accounts that they may have. Neither international tax treaties nor filing foreign […]

Many US citizens living abroad aren’t sure whether they need to file US taxes. In this article we’re going to clear up a few common misconceptions, and provide some strategies for success. Do US citizens living abroad have to file US taxes? Yes. All US citizens, including those living abroad, who earn more than the […]

In August 2019 the IRS is writing to 10,000 Americans, including expats, who have held or sold Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency holdings over the last few years, informing them that they may owe tax on their holdings. All Americans are required to file a US tax return, including Americans living abroad, reporting their worldwide income. […]

Last week the UK announced former mayor of London Boris Johnson as the country’s new Prime Minister. Few people know though that new UKPM Mr Johnson was until 2016 an American citizen, and that he renounced his US citizenship to avoid having to file US taxes. Mr Johnson was a US citizen by virtue of having […]

The underlying principle of the US tax system is that US citizens and Green Card holders are required to file and report their total worldwide income, whether they live in the US or abroad, and wherever in the world their income is earned or sourced. This means that many expats have to file two tax […]

Just found out about PFICs and feeling a little panicked? You’re not alone. Many U.S. expats with foreign investments don’t realize they own a Passive Foreign Investment Company until they’re knee-deep in tax forms—or worse, facing unexpected tax bills. The IRS classifies many foreign mutual funds, ETFs, and investment funds as PFICs, and unfortunately, they come with some of the most […]

What do astronauts and American expats have in common? American expats and astronauts both need the ability, courage and conviction to not just venture out into the unknown, but to succeed and thrive there. Unfortunately, they also share an inability to escape the requirement to file US taxes. The US taxes based on citizenship, meaning […]

The new 2018 IRS Tax Book has confirmed that the IRS continued the trend of auditing a much higher proportion of international tax returns then domestic ones in 2018. While a total of 0.6% of all individual federal income tax returns were audited during the year, the figure for international returns is nearly six times the […]

Under the 2015 Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, the IRS is required to certify to the State Department any taxpayer who owes at least $52,000 (the figure is adjusted for inflation annually) in back taxes. The State Department then blocks any application from that person to receive or renew a new US passport. US filing […]