Expat tax services from trusted tax experts

The Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, FIRPTA, is part of US tax law that can require withholding when a foreign person sells US real estate. In a typical sale, the buyer has the immediate filing duty, not the seller. That is why buyers, closing teams, and foreign owners all need the rules right before funds move at closing.</...

The 121 home sale exclusion allows you to exclude up to $250,000 of capital gain – or $500,000 if married filing jointly – when you sell your principal residence. The exclusion is permanent: unlike a deferral, the excluded gain is never taxed. To qualify, you must have owned and used the home as your primary residence for at least two...

A country of domicile is the country a person treats as their permanent legal home and intends to return to, even after living elsewhere for years. Your country of domicile is about permanence and intent – not where you happen to be right now. A country of residence is simply where a person currently lives, works, or holds a visa....

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...

If you can move money out of a foreign bank account, the US government may treat you as a filer even if none of the money is yours. That is the core of the FBAR signature authorit...

A passive foreign investment company is defined by what a foreign corporation earns or holds – specifically, the 75% passive income test or the 50% passive asset test under IRC Sec. 1297(a). A controlled foreign corporation is defined by who owns it – US shareholders owning at least 10% each must collectively hold more than 50% of the...