Mel Whitney

FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts – and it’s filed separately from your federal income tax return through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing system, not with the...

2026 filing season update: Filing your 2025 tax return? Form 8938 requirements remain unchanged for the 2025 tax year. If your specified foreign financial assets exceeded the applicable thresholds at any point in 2...

The head of household filing status is one that few people understand. But it is important to understand all of your filing options to minimize the taxes you owe. If you meet the criteria to qualify, a tax return for head of household can result in lower taxes than single status.  This article will help you to understand how to qualify for head o...

H1B visa holders typically qualify as US resident aliens for tax purposes after passing the substantial presence test. That means H1B visa tax usually includes federal income tax at 10–37% progressive rates, plus Social Security at 6.2% and Medicare at 1.45%, along with state taxes. The filing deadline is April 15, 2026, for the 2025 ta...

If you earn foreign rental income – whether from a vacation apartment in Spain, a family home in Mexico, or a long-term lease in Canada – you must report it to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Many Americans believe that paying taxes in the country where their property is located exempts them from US reporting requirements, but that’s not the ...

If you spend significant time in the United States but consider another country your home, you might be surprised to learn that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could still classify you as a US tax resident – even without a green card. This often happens to business travelers, seasonal or temporary workers, and individuals who spend long vacati...