Yes, this is critical. To end your US tax residency, you must be able to certify on Form 8854 that your past 5 years’ worth of US tax returns have been filed and were complete and accurate. You certify this under penalties of perjury. [...]
Yes, even if you are not a “covered expatriate” under the Exit Tax tests and don’t owe any Exit Tax, you must file Form 8854. The Form 8854 is required for US citizens as part of the filings to end their US tax residency. [...]
Generally, yes. As a US citizen, you typically must file a US tax return each year to report your worldwide income and foreign financial assets. This is true even if you live outside the United States and even if you pay foreign taxes on [...]
You may have heard about the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE), which allows expats to shield more than $100,000 of salary or compensation from US tax each year. There are two ways to qualify for the FEIE. Under the Physical Presence Test (PPT), you [...]
Very! The IRS sees the fines and penalties associated with these reports as easy money. Unfortunately, many expats and online expat tax providers miss these forms or get them wrong, and the IRS knows it. See our Foreign Asset Reporting [internal link services/foreign asset [...]
In recent years, the IRS has become more sophisticated in uncovering foreign assets that have not been reported. In 2018, the IRS consolidated its data from years of foreign asset audits and is now using advanced data analytics to focus audits on Americans who [...]
This is a big decision— and one that should be carefully planned from both tax and immigration perspectives. On the tax side, you will need to file specific forms to end your tax obligations. It is not enough to give up your citizenship. Instead, [...]
Our process is very straightforward. Discovery Meeting | You will be able to meet with us (usually via phone or video conference) for a free “Discovery Meeting.” In this meeting, we’ll learn about your situation, hear your questions, and understand where your filings may [...]
This is a bad idea. We know the problems in using these providers because we are often contacted to fix the errors in their filings! Many of these filings are prepared by contractors with limited expat tax and international tax knowledge. Although you are [...]
Yes. The IRS is auditing high numbers of Streamlined Filings, in part because it’s finding significant errors in these filings. International tax is complex, and specialized knowledge is required. With our international tax focus, our tax returns stand up under audit. As a result, [...]
