LOVE SCHMUV! Just K.I.S.S. (Keep It Separate Sweetheart) – US Tax Perils of Joint Ownership

My earlier blog post gave a head’s up to married couples about jointly owned assets when one spouse is a non-US citizen. Virtually every aspect of the US tax rules are impacted by such joint ownership - income tax, gift tax, estate tax, tax information reporting and FBAR reporting under the Bank Secrecy Act. Today's post provides … Continue reading LOVE SCHMUV! Just K.I.S.S. (Keep It Separate Sweetheart) – US Tax Perils of Joint Ownership →

A Big Mistake – Joint Ownership of Assets With Your Non-US Citizen Spouse

I know many married couples of mixed nationality, when one spouse is not a US citizen and the other has such citizenship. Without due consideration to the US tax issues, spouses often hold title to bank accounts, brokerage accounts and real property as joint tenants with right of survivorship. Joint ownership often comes about even … Continue reading A Big Mistake – Joint Ownership of Assets With Your Non-US Citizen Spouse →

Foreign Individuals: US Estate Tax Reform Passed You By (Part II)

Part I of this blog post examined some of the rules regarding the US estate tax and how it applies to non-US persons (noncitizen/nonresident). Unfortunately, the US estate tax often catches the nonresident alien family by surprise and when it does, it bites hard. Remember, the "nonresident alien" will include an individual who has expatriated (e.g., … Continue reading Foreign Individuals: US Estate Tax Reform Passed You By (Part II) →

Foreign Individuals: US Estate Tax Reform Passed You By (Part I)

Prior to the actual passage of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (TCJA) on December 22 2017, there were some high expectations that the disparity in the US estate tax exemption for US and non-US persons would be eliminated, or that the US estate tax itself would be repealed. Unfortunately, neither of these hoped-for events … Continue reading Foreign Individuals: US Estate Tax Reform Passed You By (Part I) →

PART II – Forms W-8BEN & W-8BEN-E: What Are They Used For? Which One Must I Complete?

Part I of this blog post explained how Form W-8BEN is used for so-called Chapter 3 income tax withholding purposes covering topics such as the types of income subject to US-source withholding when paid to a foreign (non-US) person; exemptions, length of time for validity of the Form. It also provided an overview of how … Continue reading PART II – Forms W-8BEN & W-8BEN-E: What Are They Used For? Which One Must I Complete? →

PART I: What is Form W-8BEN, What is it Used For, Must I Complete It?

Lately, I have been fielding many questions about Form W-8 BEN, it’s brother, Form W-8BEN-E, and related family members Forms W-8ECI, W-8IMY, and W-8EXP. What are these things? And why are they giving you such a headache? Let’s set out some basics one step at a time. Today’s blog post will detail all the nuances … Continue reading PART I: What is Form W-8BEN, What is it Used For, Must I Complete It? →

“US Source” Income – What Is It? Why Should I Care?

As many of my readers may know, there is a 30% withholding tax imposed on certain payments to foreign persons (whether individuals or entities) by US-payors. The 30% rate may be reduced or eliminated if a relevant treaty can apply. Withholding is required only for particular types of income provided the income has not been … Continue reading “US Source” Income – What Is It? Why Should I Care? →

Foreign Nationals – Am I “Resident” for US Estate & Gift Tax Purposes?

Many non-US individuals come to me with questions concerning their liability for US taxes - income, gift, estate tax. I find there are some general misunderstandings - hardly surprising given the complexity of the US tax system. Let's review! Before we talk about foreign (non-US) individuals, let's be clear: US citizens are always treated as … Continue reading Foreign Nationals – Am I “Resident” for US Estate & Gift Tax Purposes? →

JUST ANNOUNCED! Foreign Related Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2019

The Internal Revenue Service today announced the tax year 2019 annual inflation adjustments for more than 60 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules and other tax changes. Revenue Procedure 2018-57 provides details about these annual adjustments. The tax year 2019 adjustments generally are used on tax returns filed in 2020. For those of you … Continue reading JUST ANNOUNCED! Foreign Related Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2019 →

Before You Think of Becoming an “American Abroad”, Read This….

I was recently asked about the tax problems faced by Americans who move overseas. Unfortunately, there are many US tax difficulties faced by Americans abroad. In order to make some sense of this vast topic, let's put the major problems into several basic categories. Once aware of the problems lurking out there, you can get … Continue reading Before You Think of Becoming an “American Abroad”, Read This…. →