10/04/2018
The US has an unusual tax system that requires all Americans to file US taxes, whether they live in the US or abroad, reporting their worldwide income. Many US expats aren’t aware of this requirement, so they only concentrate on filing and fulfilling local tax obligations in the country where they live. Many expats also […]
10/03/2018
There are an estimated 225,000 Americans living in the UK. Living in the UK is a fun and fascinating experience for all kinds of reasons – the accents, the culture and history, the people and the pubs, the countryside, and having Europe on your doorstep, to name but a few. As an American expatriate living […]
10/01/2018
This article was last updated in February 2023. There are a variety of different reasons that Americans living abroad participate in foreign pension plans. Some qualify for them after settling abroad permanently, some are granted them as part of their compensation for work done abroad. Regardless of where they live or how they came to […]
09/27/2018
Bright!Tax has been shortlisted for the prestigious FEM EMMA Tax Provider of the Year Award for the EMEA region. The Awards ceremony takes place on Friday November 9th at the O2 Intercontinental in London, England. For the last eight years, the EMMA Awards have recognized excellence and Innovation in the field of Global Mobility […]
09/24/2018
Filing taxes from abroad often differs from filing within the US. Sometimes in good ways — for example, many expats qualify for unique tax breaks like the Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) or the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE). However, life abroad can also trigger new or different reporting obligations. Those with a foreign partnership, for […]
09/20/2018
American expats are required to file US taxes, reporting their worldwide income, despite living abroad. It’s a strange requirement, as it means expats often have to file two tax returns, one to the IRS and another in the country where they live. Thankfully, the IRS has made available a number of exemptions that expats can […]
09/17/2018
Because the US taxes based on citizenship rather than on residence, all American citizens and green card holders, including expats, have to file US taxes, wherever in the world they live. To mitigate the risk of double taxation (expats having to pay taxes abroad as well as to the US) that the requirement raises, […]
09/14/2018
(This article was provided by Thun Financial Advisors, specializing in financial advice and portfolio management for Americans living overseas). Retirement abroad has never been as popular as it is now. Longer, more active retirement years have been one reason American seniors are increasingly being enticed to retire abroad. Financial considerations have also become a compelling […]
09/13/2018
The Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, or OVDP, was launched in 2009 to allow Americans who weren’t compliant with their US tax obligations to come forward, pay any US tax they owed, and gain immunity from prosecution. To date, some 56,000 taxpayers have used the program, with numbers peaking at 18,000 in 2011. In 2017, just […]
09/11/2018
When Americans move abroad, they are usually more focused on the adventure ahead than on getting to grips with US tax rules for expats. In fact, many assume that their foreign income is tax exempt. It’s counter-intuitive, in a way, that US expats are required to file US taxes from abroad, declaring their worldwide income. […]