Virginia La Torre Jeker, J.D. — US tax matters affecting international clients
Crypto currency is on the decline which means that many Americans may have experienced losses with their virtual currency transactions. According to CCN the valuation of the crypto market fell by $4 billion from $130 billion to $126 billion, dropping to the $120 billion region for the first time since mid-February. One must remember, that … Continue reading Bitcoin and Your Taxes: Do You Know What to Do?
Giving a significant amount of investment assets to one’s children used to be a popular tax strategy, since it permitted the income earned on the investment to be taxed at the child’s presumably lower tax rate. Congress, in its kind-hearted way enacted the so-called “kiddie tax” in 1986 to prevent parents from abusing this strategy. … Continue reading Your Children, Kiddie Tax and US Tax Reform – Tax, Tax, Tax the Kiddies!
I was just recently interviewed on Canadian TV in 3 different sessions covering the US tax complications when a US person and non-US person are married (US income tax, gift tax, estate tax). I am being interviewed by John Richardson, a Canadian and US attorney. John calls this phenomenon the #FBARMarriage. Some marriages don't last -- … Continue reading The #FBAR Marriage – A Troublesome Union
As if divorce were not a stressful enough time, the complexities of the US tax rules when a non-US spouse is involved just make it all the more unbearable. Keep in mind, too, that foreign divorces can add further legal complexity to the mix and professional help should always be sought. This is so because when foreign … Continue reading Property Transfers at Divorce and the Foreign (Non-US) Spouse
I have written a few blog posts on the thorny side of filing US income tax returns, FBARs and various information returns when one is married to a non-resident alien (NRA) spouse. It may be helpful to read those posts here and here before embarking on this one as the earlier posts set out some … Continue reading Tax Court, IRS Speak with Forked Tongue? Section 6013(g) Election to Treat Foreign Spouse as US “Resident”
Former US citizens or long term permanent residents who are giving up (or previously gave up) their US status, have far more than just the "Exit Tax" to worry about. They must also consider the impact the expatriation will have on their US family members and other intended US beneficiaries. I'm still waiting for more … Continue reading Gifts & Bequests from Former Americans – Beware that Trojan Horse
My earlier blog post gave a head’s up to married couples about US tax issues that can arise when assets are owned jointly with a spouse who is not a US citizen. A follow-up blog post detailed the US Gift tax rules that apply when assets are held jointly with right of survivorship (WROS) by a US/non-US citizen … Continue reading Estate Tax Nightmare: Joint Ownership of Property with A Non-US 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
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)
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)
Virginia - US TAX TALK 