Should A Green Card Holder Use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion?

This is actually a difficult question to answer, despite the fact that many green card holders give little thought to the issue and willy-nilly claim the exclusion. Let's look at some background. Americans working abroad may be eligible to exclude from US taxable income certain foreign earned income (wages, compensation for services) under the rules … Continue reading Should A Green Card Holder Use the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion? →

Foreign Life Insurance Policy? Houston, We Have a Problem……

Recently, I blogged about the fact that many US persons living abroad have “foreign” (non-US) life, sickness or accident insurance or a foreign annuity. A mere handful have any knowledge of the complex US tax rules that may apply to these policies. Buzz words include “passive foreign investment company” (PFIC) exposure, Form 114 Bank Secrecy … Continue reading Foreign Life Insurance Policy? Houston, We Have a Problem…… →

What is a “Bona Fide Resident” for FEIE?

The case of Hudson v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2017-221 provides a valuable lesson from the US Tax Court on what it means to be a "bona fide resident" for purposes of the Section 911 foreign earned income exclusion (“FEIE”). The court in Hudson held that a pilot working for Korean Air and living in a … Continue reading What is a “Bona Fide Resident” for FEIE? →

Head’s Up! IRS Just Revised EIN Application Procedure & Foreign Taxpayers Will Struggle

Effective as of May 13, taxpayers can no longer request an employer identification number (EIN) unless the "responsible party" named on the application has either a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Only governmental entities and the military are exempt from this requirement, and may continue to list non-individual entities as … Continue reading Head’s Up! IRS Just Revised EIN Application Procedure & Foreign Taxpayers Will Struggle →

Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: What is “Earned Income”?

Americans working abroad may be eligible to exclude certain foreign earned income (wages, compensation for services) from US taxable income under the rules governing the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE). The FEIE amount is adjusted annually for inflation. The amount for 2018 is US$104,100 per individual; for 2019 the amount is US$105,900 per individual. In … Continue reading Foreign Earned Income Exclusion: What is “Earned Income”? →

The Foreigner and the Taxman: Are You “Married” for US Income Tax Purposes?

Life gets confusing when you’re an American and you’ve married a “foreigner”. Aside from the cultural and social differences you may encounter, you cannot forget that your US tax situation will now become even more complex. Many of my tax blog posts explain the thorny side of filing US income tax returns, FBARs and various … Continue reading The Foreigner and the Taxman: Are You “Married” for US Income Tax Purposes? →

Do You Have Foreign Life, Sickness, or Casualty Insurance? A Foreign Annuity Contract? Excise Tax / FBAR / Form 8938 / Expatriation ….

Many US persons living abroad have foreign life, sickness or accident insurance or a foreign annuity. Yet, only a handful have any knowledge of the US Foreign Insurance Excise Tax provisions affecting these policies. Foreign asset information reporting may also apply. Here's what you need to know! Foreign Life Insurance Generally, an excise tax of … Continue reading Do You Have Foreign Life, Sickness, or Casualty Insurance? A Foreign Annuity Contract? Excise Tax / FBAR / Form 8938 / Expatriation …. →

Head’s Up! Foreign-Owned Single Member US LLC: Increase in Penalties for Form 5472

My earlier blog post covered some basics about Form 5472, including how the Form helps the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) learn about foreign-owned businesses in the US and when to audit them, the meanings of certain terms such as what is meant by a “reportable transaction” with a “related party”, and the situation requiring filing … Continue reading Head’s Up! Foreign-Owned Single Member US LLC: Increase in Penalties for Form 5472 →

Overseas Home? Mortgage Interest, Foreign Real Property Taxes & New US Tax Law – Any Workaround?

Sweeping tax reform was signed into law by President Trump on December 22, 2017. Now that tax returns are being prepared for the 2018 year, individuals are more keenly feeling the impact of the “Tax Cuts and Job Act” (“TCJA”). I’ve had numerous calls on two questions by Americans overseas who own a foreign residence. … Continue reading Overseas Home? Mortgage Interest, Foreign Real Property Taxes & New US Tax Law – Any Workaround? →

Dubai (and Singapore) – Now IRS Targets for Offshore Investigations

Americans in Dubai / Singapore – If you are not tax compliant, time is really running out. As reported by Bloomberg on March 8th, an official with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation (CI) unit announced at a Washington DC Federal Bar Association event that CI is considering Dubai and Singapore as its "next … Continue reading Dubai (and Singapore) – Now IRS Targets for Offshore Investigations →