expatriation

Not Just Another Covid-19 Announcement

March 17, 2020 | by Dennis N. Brager

Some of you may be concerned about the impact of the Coronavirus aka Covid-19 outbreak on your taxes, and those of your clients. The news from the IRS has been slow in coming. On Friday of last week President Trump declared a National Emergency. At the same time, he directed Treasury Secretary Mnuchin to provide relief from “tax deadlines” to Americans who are adversely impacted by the emergency. This allows the IRS to extend various deadlines for up to a one-year period. This authority is not, however, self-executing. That is, the IRS must specify exactly which due dates, and for how long they are being extended.

Prior to President Trump’s announcement Secretary Mnuchin had told reporters that most deadlines would be extended for “small businesses” and most individuals other than the “super rich.” Our tax lawyers couldn’t find a definition of super rich anywhere in the Internal Revenue Code. Finally, this morning, Tuesday March 17^th, after partnership and certain LLC returns were already due, Mnuchin stated in a press conference that the filing deadline for the 2019 income tax return would be extended by 90 days. For individuals that would mean July 14^th. Presumably, the IRS will actually extend the date to July 15^th just to make things a touch easier. Individuals living overseas already have an extension to June 15^th so presumably they would have until September 15^th to file.

In addition to stating that the income tax filing deadline would be extended, Mnuchin also stated that the 2019 payment deadline for income taxes owed of less than $1 million dollars for individuals or $10 million for corporations. This would be an interest and penalty free extension. For those who are over the thresholds it is unclear whether the entire amount due would be subject to interest and penalties or just that amount over the threshold. It is also not clear whether the filing extension would apply to those who owe taxes in excess of the cut-off amount.

How Does Living Overseas Impact Your FBAR and FATCA Obligations?

September 28, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

U.S. taxpayers who live overseas may still have a Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) and form 8938 filing report for their foreign financial accounts. In general, your FBAR obligations will not be impacted by the fact that you live overseas. If you are a U.S. person and your aggregate account balance of foreign accounts exceeded $10,000 during the year, you must file an FBAR, regardless of where you live.

Your Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) obligations using form 8938 require a bit more discussion. Whether you need to file a form 8938 could be impacted by country of residency because there are different threshold amounts depending on whether you live in the U.S. or abroad.

Form 8938 Thresholds for Taxpayers Living Abroad

What Expats Should Know About Their U.S. Tax Obligations

September 25, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Expats may decide to leave the U.S. due to work, retirement, or other reasons. Tax reduction may also be a motivation for moving to a foreign country, but the United States uses citizenship-based taxation. Therefore, the taxpayer still has a continuing obligation to file and pay U.S. taxes (although they may be eligible for some exclusions, such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion).

Tax Mistakes Expats Should Avoid

First, expats need to continue to file and pay their taxes. Many other countries use territorial-based taxation, which only taxes income earned inside the country. The United States, on the other hand, taxes citizens on all worldwide income.

Are Dual Citizens Required to File FBARs?

September 21, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Dual citizens, along with all other “United States persons”, must file a Report of Foreign Bank Accounts (FBAR) if the aggregate value of their foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the year. This requirement applies to U.S. citizens, residents, green card holders, and those who must file taxes because they are substantially present in the United States. It also applies to legal entities, including corporations, partnerships, and trusts.

While other countries only tax their citizens on income earned within the country’s borders, the United States taxes its citizens—and other individuals who have a filing requirement—on all worldwide income from any source. This requirement, along with the FBAR filing requirements, can create problems for expatriates, immigrants, and anyone else with offshore bank accounts.

Expats who move abroad are still responsible for complying with U.S. tax law as long as they remain U.S. citizens. Even if you live abroad for the entire year, and none of your income would be taxable, you may still have to file a tax return. If you open a bank account in a foreign country, and the aggregate value of all of your foreign accounts exceeds $10,000 during the year, you must file an FBAR.

How to Relinquish Citizenship for Tax Purposes

March 31, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Before you relinquish your U.S. citizenship in order to avoid paying taxes, be advised that some taxpayers will be subject to an expatriation tax, also known as the “exit tax” upon renunciation of citizenship. The IRS will effectively act as though you sold all of your worldwide assets in a taxable transaction the day before you expatriated. Long-term capital gains tax rates are currently as high as 23.8%, including the net investment income tax, so plan your expatriation will the help of a tax attorney.

How to Relinquish Citizenship

Both U.S. citizens and green card holders are considered U.S. taxpayers, and each category of taxpayers has different rules for relinquishing their tax citizenship. Citizens must officially relinquish their citizenship, shown by a certificate of loss of nationality or by a U.S. court’s cancelation of a naturalized citizen’s certificate of naturalization.

What is the Exit Tax Charged to Expatriates?

March 24, 2017 | by Dennis N. Brager

Some taxpayers may be attracted to the idea of expatriating in order to reduce their tax liability, but the “exit tax” that must be paid upon renunciation of citizenship can complicate those plans. This exit tax, also known as the expatriation tax, treats the taxpayer as though he or she has sold all assets at fair market value the day before expatriation. Obviously, this could result in an enormous tax bill for some taxpayers.

Covered Expatriates Under the Exit Tax

Only “covered expatriates” are subject to this tax. Three categories of taxpayers could be considered “covered expatriates”.