06/15/2026
Two Americans abroad can earn the same income and still need different tax strategies. One may save more with the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, which excludes qualifying foreign earnings from taxable income. The other may do better with the Foreign Tax Credit, which reduces U.S. tax based on eligible foreign taxes paid. For 2026, the […]
06/09/2026
Leaving the U.S. does not end your U.S. tax filing obligations. Americans abroad still have to report worldwide income, even when that income is earned and taxed in another country. The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion can reduce that burden. For the 2026 tax year, qualifying taxpayers can exclude up to $132,900 of foreign earned income […]
06/15/2026
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 […]
06/15/2026
If you received a letter about your Malta QROPS and U.S. tax reporting, you are not alone — and you are not automatically in trouble. Some U.S. taxpayers with Malta-based QROPS arrangements are being asked to review whether their pension has been reported correctly under U.S. tax rules. That can feel unsettling, especially if the […]
06/15/2026
New country, new bank account, new tax system. Same annual hello from the IRS. For Americans living abroad, U.S. tax obligations often continue long after the moving boxes are unpacked. U.S. citizens, green card holders, and some resident aliens still need to file a federal income tax return, even when they earn income in a […]
06/15/2026
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 […]
06/15/2026
Self-employment abroad has a lot going for it: more freedom, more flexibility, and no one hovering over your shoulder asking whether that report is “almost ready.” The IRS, tragically, remains unmoved by the romance. If you’re a U.S. expat working for yourself, your business income may still need to go on your U.S. tax return. […]
05/27/2026
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 […]
07/04/2026
Retiring in Spain is one of those plans that makes immediate emotional sense. Sunshine, excellent healthcare, walkable cities, late dinners, good public transport, beaches, tapas, and the general sense that life might improve if lunch were treated with more respect. But moving there long-term is where the romance meets the paperwork. For U.S. citizens, that […]
05/22/2026
The digital nomad lifestyle looks beautifully simple from the outside: a laptop, a passport, decent Wi-Fi, and the smug little joy of answering emails from somewhere warmer. And yes, the freedom is real. But so is the admin. Once you start working across borders, the things that used to sit quietly in the background — […]