Tag: foreign accounts

IRS Wants Help on Cryptocurrency Audits – Seeks Private Crypto Gurus

We know that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been investigating tax evasion and other crimes tied to cryptocurrency. The agency has been hard at work for some time in scrutinizing crypto and for the past two years, it has been in  the process of developing and executing investigation techniques to enforce cryptocurrency compliance.  Along … Continue reading IRS Wants Help on Cryptocurrency Audits – Seeks Private Crypto Gurus →

Getting a Green Card – Is it Really Worth It?

I recently spoke on the US tax issues faced by the holder of the green card.  To be or not to be such a holder? The podcasts (links below) may help you decide. The podcasts were made with John Richardson, a US and Canadian attorney.   John, who is based in Canada, has seen his fair … Continue reading Getting a Green Card – Is it Really Worth It? →

The Flexible “Foundation” – It’s Becoming a Thing!

Recently I was the guest speaker on Jimmy Sexton’s podcast discussing all things related to an entity called a “foundation”.  A foundation is a creature of a country’s statutory law, but foundations are not well understood in common law jurisdictions, such as the United States.  In the podcast, we looked at the difference between civil … Continue reading The Flexible “Foundation” – It’s Becoming a Thing! →

Foreign Pension Plans / Retirement Trusts – Is IRS Seeing the Light?

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - starting to see some light with respect to "foreign" pension plans?  The US tax issues surrounding foreign pensions and retirement schemes is extremely complex and has vexed tax professionals and US persons abroad for many years.  (Read my earlier blog post here).  Due to the diversity of such plans, … Continue reading Foreign Pension Plans / Retirement Trusts – Is IRS Seeing the Light? →

IRS’ Crypto Guidance – No, You Cannot Rely On It.

Cyptocurrency (such as Bitcoin) is a type of virtual currency. This is an emerging area and consequently transactions involving use of crypto come with an enormous amount of US tax uncertainty. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has taken a keen interest in virtual currency since its use provides a way for taxpayers to avoid tax … Continue reading IRS’ Crypto Guidance – No, You Cannot Rely On It. →

FinCEN: No FBAR Reporting for Virtual Currency in an Offshore Account

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) will jointly examine application  of foreign account reporting requirements to virtual currency held in an offshore account under the Bank Secrecy Act (the notorious FBAR, Form 114).  Two important points about FBAR duties for foreign accounts holding virtual currency  were made in a … Continue reading FinCEN: No FBAR Reporting for Virtual Currency in an Offshore Account →

Oh No! I Have a “Foreign” Pension or Employee Savings Plan and Uncle Sam is Killing Me (Part I)

“Foreign” pension or similar plans are a very common feature in the lives of US expats residing and working abroad. As used here, the word “pension” is only a general term. While pensions in the United States often refer to defined benefit retirement plans, my use in today’s blog post refers to a pension as … Continue reading Oh No! I Have a “Foreign” Pension or Employee Savings Plan and Uncle Sam is Killing Me (Part I) →

Expatriated? But Failed to File Form 8854?  IRS Provides a Fix!

2020 looks promising in more ways than one. First, on a professional level I was delighted and proud to be named, for the 4th year running, to Forbes Top 100 Must Follow Tax Twitter Accounts for 2020. Please do encourage your friends and colleagues to follow me on Twitter and to subscribe to my US … Continue reading Expatriated? But Failed to File Form 8854?  IRS Provides a Fix! →

Dangerous Liaisons: Foreign Assets and the US Nominee

We’ve known for some time that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been mining heaps of data provided to it by financial institutions that were the subject of non-prosecution agreements, as well as examining treasure troves of financial information from various leaks (think “Panama Papers”) looking not only for tax dollars, interest and penalties but … Continue reading Dangerous Liaisons: Foreign Assets and the US Nominee →

IRS Cryptocurrency Update:  Taxing Those”Hard Forks” and “Air Drops”

Cryptocurrency (such as Bitcoin) is a type of virtual currency. It is an emerging area, and as such, comes with an enormous amount of uncertainty when it comes to the US tax treatment of transactions involving its use. On October 9, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Revenue Ruling 2019-24 providing much awaited guidance about … Continue reading IRS Cryptocurrency Update:  Taxing Those”Hard Forks” and “Air Drops” →