Renounce U.S. Citizenship Fee Cut To $450—But Tax Traps Remain

The U.S. Department of State just cut the citizenship renunciation fee from $2,350 to $450, but exit tax rules, Social Security limits, and transfer tax traps still create major consequences. For Americans contemplating expatriation, the change may seem like a major victory. For years, critics argued that the United States imposed the highest administrative fee … Continue reading Renounce U.S. Citizenship Fee Cut To $450—But Tax Traps Remain →

Own A Foreign Corporation? New Case Lets IRS Collect $10K Immediately

A new court case now allows the IRS to immediately collect $10,000 penalties from U.S. owners of foreign corporations who fail to file Form 5471. For taxpayers with foreign corporations, the IRS just strengthened its hand in collecting reporting penalties without going to court. The so-called “Farhy defense” suffered another major blow on February 27, … Continue reading Own A Foreign Corporation? New Case Lets IRS Collect $10K Immediately →

Kwong Case: IRS May Owe You Money, Cut Penalties

Taxpayers have often struggled with shifting tax filing deadlines and complex IRS penalty calculations. But if some of those filing deadlines were legally postponed by an act of Congress, certain penalties and refund interest may have been incorrectly calculated by the IRS, entitling impacted taxpayers to relief. A recent federal court case may offer some … Continue reading Kwong Case: IRS May Owe You Money, Cut Penalties →

IRS Drops Form 708: 40% Tax, Gifts & Bequests, “Covered Expatriates”

The Internal Revenue Service has released the final version of Form 708, titled “United States Return of Tax for Gifts and Bequests Received from Covered Expatriates,” (revision dated December 2025) along with detailed draft instructions (revision dated December 2025). As of today’s publication, the accompanying instructions remain in draft form available only as a draft … Continue reading IRS Drops Form 708: 40% Tax, Gifts & Bequests, “Covered Expatriates” →

Offshore Crypto: IRS Steps Closer To Automatic Reporting Under OECD CARF

The United States along with over 70 other countries has adhered to the Joint Statement on the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, “CARF”. CARF is the digital-asset counterpart to the Common Reporting Standard “CRS” that has exchanged bank and securities account data among signatory countries (now well over 100 countries). The United States has formally indicated … Continue reading Offshore Crypto: IRS Steps Closer To Automatic Reporting Under OECD CARF →

Senator Bernie Moreno Introduces Bill To Eliminate Dual Citizenship

On December 1, 2025, Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) introduced the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025. The bill would prohibit any person from simultaneously holding U.S. citizenship and citizenship of another country. The major provisions include: An effective date 180 days after enactment. The requirement that existing dual citizens would have one year to renounce all … Continue reading Senator Bernie Moreno Introduces Bill To Eliminate Dual Citizenship →

Global Assets, U.S. Persons: Cross-Border Tax Planning Mandatory

In her recent Forbes article “Foreign Trusts – How Structure Can Prevent a Million-Dollar Penalty,” Priya Royal emphasizes a core maxim of cross-border tax planning: whenever U.S. persons are part of the “clan,” heightened vigilance is required. The same principle holds true when U.S. situs assets are involved in foreign families or their structures. Global … Continue reading Global Assets, U.S. Persons: Cross-Border Tax Planning Mandatory →

Unregistered U.S. Citizenship: Hidden Risks For American Born Abroad

Each year, thousands of children are born overseas to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. parent. Under U.S. immigration law, many of these children are U.S. citizens from birth, provided the American parent satisfies a relatively simple test: at least five years of physical presence in the United States, with two of those years … Continue reading Unregistered U.S. Citizenship: Hidden Risks For American Born Abroad →

A Complicated U.S. Tax Life: Foreign Spouses And Community Property

When love crosses borders, tax complexity often follows. I know this from first-hand experience having married a Swiss national almost 4 decades ago. When U.S. citizens marry foreign nationals who are not U.S. tax residents a host of U.S. tax rules can upend marital bliss by causing tax compliance complexities that are often difficult to … Continue reading A Complicated U.S. Tax Life: Foreign Spouses And Community Property →

Exciting Update: Revamped US Tax Primer for Expats & Global Citizens + Must-Watch YouTube Interviews!

Hello subscribers, global go-getters, expats, and anyone navigating the maze of US taxes abroad! I've got some exciting updates that'll make your financial life smoother and your dreams of living overseas a whole lot less taxing. First, I just rolled out a complete refresh of my flagship US Tax Primer for American Expatriates Worldwide and … Continue reading Exciting Update: Revamped US Tax Primer for Expats & Global Citizens + Must-Watch YouTube Interviews! →