08/19/2021
On 31st December 2020, the IRS quietly dropped a Bitcoin bombshell as it released a statement saying that it intended to add virtual currency accounts as a reportable account under FBAR rules. The statement read: “FinCEN intends to propose to amend the regulations implementing the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regarding reports of foreign financial accounts […]
12/31/2020
In this article, we’ll look at what is meant by a US Person for US tax purposes. Many US tax rules are applied to all ‘US Persons’, so it’s an important concept to grasp, however the definition is wider than many people assume. US persons can be divided into several categories, covering different types of […]
04/22/2021
Note – a third stimulus check has now been announced too. On Sunday 27th December 2020, President Trump signed the COVID-Related Tax Relief Act of 2020 (COVIDTRA) into law. The Act passed through both houses early last week, however the president didn’t sign it sooner as he was unhappy with the amount of the second […]
12/17/2020
The Bright!Tax Awards Committee is pleased to announce that Olivia Cunningham is the latest recipient of the prestigious Global Scholar Award for Americans studying abroad. Olivia originally hails from Boston, however since undertaking a study abroad opportunity in her senior year of high school, she has been embracing life abroad. She completed her undergraduate degree […]
03/07/2022
With all Americans, including expats, having to report their worldwide income by filing a US federal tax return every year, the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion provides Americans living abroad a way to reduce their US tax bill (in many cases to zero). In 2021, for many Americans expats around the world filing their 2020 US […]
07/14/2021
The nine million Americans who live abroad are required to file US taxes, reporting their worldwide income, the same as Americans living in the US. This is because the US taxes based on US citizenship, rather than on residence. When Americans abroad file their US taxes, by filing additional forms they can claim IRS provisions […]
05/10/2023
This article was contributed by David Tompkins at Expat Financial. David is an expert in sourcing global health insurance plans for multinationals and individual expats around the globe. Most Americans realize the importance of buying medical insurance in the United States, but what about health insurance when you move abroad? It is unlikely that your […]
11/23/2020
It’s an unusual year in multiple ways, and this is also true when it comes to 2020 year-end tax planning. Both the Coronavirus pandemic and the presidential election will affect year-end tax planning for some expats this year. While the pandemic has affected the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion rules, tax changes next year due to […]
06/21/2023
Last updated March 23, 2023. It seems that impactful external events may trigger introspection with regard to nationality. For example, the two years with the highest number of US citizenship renunciations ever were 2020 (6,705) and 2016 (5,411). Deciding to renounce US citizenship is a highly personal choice that comes with many life-changing implications. US […]
11/09/2020
It has been estimated that there are several thousand Americans living in Bangladesh. Living in Bangladesh is an wonderful experience for a number of reasons, including the friendly locals, the exotic culture, and the quality of life. As an American expatriate living in Bangladesh though, what exactly do you need to know regarding filing US expat (and Bangladeshi) taxes? […]