Susan Turcotte

A self-invested personal pension, or SIPP, is a UK government-approved pension wrapper that lets you choose and manage your own investments while receiving tax relief on contributions of up to 100% of your annual UK earnings. Unlike a standard workplace pension, where the provider picks the funds, a SIPP puts you in control of asset allocation.</...

For the 2025 tax year filed in 2026, a QROPS can raise at least 3 separate tax questions: the UK 25% Overseas Transfer Charge, US tax on foreign pensions, and IRS or FinCEN reporting. US citizens and green card holders should treat a QROPS as an international pension transfer, not as a tax-free rollover. A QROPS may help certain non-UK ...

Form 8233 is an IRS form that lets a nonresident alien claim an exemption from withholding on qualifying compensation for personal services under an applicable US tax treaty – potentially reducing withholding from the standard treaty withh...

A UCITS ETF is a European Union-regulated exchange-traded fund, most commonly domiciled in Ireland or Luxembourg. Irish-domiciled funds generally pay 15% US withholding tax on dividends from US companies, compared to 30% for funds without equivalent treaty access. For US citizens and green card holders, most UCITS ETFs meet th...

If you paid income tax to a foreign country in 2025 and you also owe US federal tax on the same income, you can either claim a foreign tax credit on Form 1116 or take a foreign tax deduction on Schedule A. You cannot do both for the same taxes in the same year. The credit cuts your US tax bill dollar-for-dollar; the deduction only reduc...

Form 8949 is the IRS form used to report sales and other dispositions of capital assets – stocks, bonds, cryptocurrency, real estate, and foreign investments. For tax year 2025 (filed in 2026), many taxpayers who sold an investment will need Form 8949, but some transactions can be reported directly on Schedule D or on a separate s...