05/28/2018
If you’re an American citizen or green card holder, you’re required to file US taxes wherever in the world you live, reporting your worldwide income. The US is almost the only country in the world that requires all of its citizens to file even if they live abroad. This means that US expats often have […]
01/11/2018
Americans who live abroad are still required to file a US tax return, reporting their worldwide income. Expats can claim the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and/or the Foreign Housing Exclusion however, which allow them to pay less (or in many cases no) US tax (although they still have to file a US return to claim […]
12/04/2017
Over the last few years, millions of US expats have been asked by their foreign banks and investment firms to fill out IRS form W-9. Receiving form W-9 often causes surprise or alarm. While there’s no need to panic, there are a number of things that expats should know if they receive form W-9, to […]
11/02/2017
When you’ve settled in a foreign country and built a life there, the question of whether retaining your US citizenship is worthwhile may arise. This is due to the fact that the IRS taxes citizens and Green Card holders on their global income, which often results in filing daunting expat returns year after year. Moreover, […]
09/25/2017
Americans living abroad are still subject to US tax filing requirements on their worldwide income. There are also further US filing requirements just for expats, including having to report foreign bank and investment accounts if the expat’s combined balances exceed $10,000 at any time during the year, and reporting foreign financial assets on form 8938. […]
07/17/2017
IRS form 5472 is a US filing requirement that affects some Americans living abroad who own or part-own corporations. Form 5472 must be filed by US-registered corporations that are 25% or more owned by a foreigner, and foreign corporations that trade in the US, that make any ‘reportable transactions’ during the filing period. A ‘reportable […]
05/01/2017
Americans living abroad are still required to file US taxes and declare their worldwide income. They may also have to pay US taxes, regardless whether they are also paying foreign taxes, though most expats claim one or more of the IRS exclusions available to expats that reduce or eliminate their US tax liability. Claiming these […]
02/08/2016
Living abroad is for some people a temporary endeavor while for others it is a lifetime adventure, however in all cases – while we’re still US citizens or green card holders – we are liable to pay US federal taxes, and in some cases, state taxes too. To help prevent double taxation, paying tax on […]
02/08/2016
Many of our clients confess to some confusion (or lots!) about whether they have to complete Form 8938, FinCEN Form 114, or both, so we’d like to shed some light on the situation. What are they? IRS Form 8938 is required under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or FATCA for reporting assets held abroad. […]