10/02/2026
Missing the tax deadline doesn’t stop you from filing, but what happens next depends largely on whether you owe the IRS or the IRS owes you. If you’re due a refund, you generally won’t face a late-filing penalty; if you owe tax, penalties and interest can build until you file and pay. At Bright!Tax, we […]
10/01/2026
U.S. expats can deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses—including software, professional fees, equipment, marketing and qualifying home-office costs—from their self-employment income. These deductions can reduce both income tax and self-employment tax, while other tax breaks only affect income tax. The distinction is easy to miss. At Bright!Tax, we regularly see freelancers abroad claim the Foreign […]
09/30/2026
Discovering that you should have filed U.S. tax returns, FBARs or international information forms can be unsettling—but non-willful mistakes can often be corrected through the IRS Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures. At Bright!Tax, we help Americans work through this process every day. The streamlined procedures allow eligible taxpayers to correct missed foreign income and reporting without […]
09/29/2026
Falling behind on U.S. taxes while living abroad does not automatically mean facing years of penalties. If your mistake was non-willful and you meet the IRS’s non-residency rules, the Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures let you file overdue or corrected returns and FBARs without the usual failure-to-file, information-return or FBAR penalties. At Bright!Tax, we often work […]
09/28/2026
If you failed to report foreign income or accounts because you genuinely misunderstood the rules, the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures can give you a way to catch up with reduced penalties—or no offshore penalties at all if you qualify for the foreign procedure. At Bright!Tax, we regularly hear from Americans who have lived abroad for […]
09/27/2026
If you live in the U.S. and previously filed tax returns without reporting foreign income or financial assets, the Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures may let you correct the problem with a single 5% penalty. You must meet the IRS eligibility rules, certify that your conduct was non-willful and submit three years of amended returns plus […]
09/25/2026
FATCA exemptions can remove certain foreign accounts and assets from your reporting requirements, saving you from filing paperwork you don’t actually need. Whether one applies depends on what you hold, where it’s held and how the account or institution is classified. The tricky part—and something we regularly untangle with our clients at Bright!Tax—is that FATCA […]
09/16/2026
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 […]
09/15/2026
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.
09/08/2026
Missed the October 15 tax deadline? You haven’t missed your chance to file. The IRS still accepts late returns, and the sooner you submit yours, the less expensive the delay may be. You should still file even if you can’t pay your full tax bill. Filing and paying are separate, and waiting until you can […]