Americans Abroad
Do Americans Living Abroad Still File U.S. Tax Returns?
Living overseas rarely ends U.S. filing obligations. Here is what continues, what relief exists, and what people most often overlook.
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Read article →Insights
Tax Insights for Globally Connected Clients
Plain-language explanations of U.S. and international tax requirements, written for business owners and individuals rather than for tax professionals. Every article is reviewed before publication.
Foreign Asset Reporting
Foreign Bank Accounts: Understanding FBAR and Form 8938
Two overlapping disclosures, two different rulebooks. How to tell which one applies to your accounts — and often, why both do.
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Read article →Foreign-Owned Businesses
What Foreign Owners of U.S. LLCs Need to Know About Form 5472
A U.S. LLC with a single foreign owner can have a federal filing obligation even with no income, no profit, and no customers.
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Read article →Foreign-Owned Businesses
Form 5472 Requirements for Foreign-Owned U.S. LLCs
A single-member LLC owned by a non-U.S. person is generally required to file Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 — even when the LLC has no income and owes no tax.
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Read article →Foreign Asset Reporting
FBAR vs. Form 8938: What Is the Difference?
Two separate reporting regimes, two different agencies, two different sets of thresholds — and many taxpayers are required to file both for the same accounts.
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Read article →Americans Abroad
U.S. Tax Filing Requirements for Americans Living Abroad
Citizenship-based taxation means the filing obligation follows you overseas. What continues, which relief provisions apply, and how to get current if returns were missed.
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Read article →Moving to the United States
U.S. Tax Planning Before Moving to the United States
The year before arrival is when the most options exist. Residency start dates, the substantial presence test, and pre-arrival decisions that are difficult to revisit later.
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Read article →Americans Abroad
Should You Claim the Foreign Tax Credit or the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion?
Both relieve double taxation, but they work differently and lead to different results. How Form 1116 and Form 2555 compare, and what usually drives the decision.
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Read article →Foreign Asset Reporting
Why Foreign Investment Funds Create Difficult U.S. Tax Problems
An ordinary mutual fund bought outside the United States is often a PFIC for U.S. tax purposes. What that means, why Form 8621 matters, and what to consider before buying.
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Read article →Foreign Asset Reporting
Received Money or Property From Family Abroad? What the IRS Expects
A gift or inheritance from a non-U.S. relative is usually not taxable income to the recipient — but it may still have to be reported. Where the line falls, and why Form 3520 matters.
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Read article →Foreign Asset Reporting
Your Family Set Up a Trust Abroad. What Does the IRS Require of You?
Foreign trusts carry some of the most demanding reporting in U.S. tax law. What Forms 3520 and 3520-A cover, who has to file, and why an informal family arrangement can still count.
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Read article →Foreign-Owned Businesses
The Costliest Mistakes Foreign Owners Make With Their U.S. Companies
Forming the entity is the easy part. The problems we are asked to fix usually come from records, related-party transactions, payroll, and state filings that nobody was tracking.
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Read article →Moving to the United States
How Many Days in the U.S. Make You a Tax Resident?
The substantial presence test counts days across three years, not one. How the count works, which days may not count, and why the answer is rarely as simple as the arithmetic.
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Read article →Small-Business Tax
LLC, S Corporation, or C Corporation: Which One Fits Your Business?
There is no universally best entity. What separates them is how profit is taxed, how owners are paid, who is allowed to own them, and what happens when the business grows or is sold.
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Read article →Small-Business Tax
Is an S Corporation Election Actually Worth It for Your Business?
The self-employment tax savings are real, but so are the payroll obligations, the reasonable compensation requirement, and the cases where the election costs more than it saves.
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Read article →Small-Business Tax
What Can Your Business Actually Deduct? A Straight Answer
Most deduction questions come down to one standard and one habit: was the expense ordinary and necessary, and can you prove it. A practical walk through the categories owners ask about most.
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Read article →IRS Compliance
An IRS Letter Arrived. Here Is What to Do First.
Most notices are narrow, answerable, and time-sensitive. A calm, documented response within the stated window resolves the majority of them — and ignoring one almost never does.
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Read article →Tax Planning
When Should a Business Start Tax Planning? Earlier Than You Think
By the time a return is prepared, most of the decisions that affect the outcome have already been made. What can still be influenced during the year — and when each decision has to happen.
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Read article →Foreign Asset Reporting
Owning a Foreign Corporation as a U.S. Taxpayer: Form 5471, CFCs & GILTI
If you are a U.S. person who owns a company outside the United States, the tax return is only part of the obligation. How Form 5471, controlled foreign corporation status, Subpart F, and GILTI can create U.S. tax before a single dollar is distributed.
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Read article →Leaving the United States
Giving Up a Green Card: U.S. Exit Tax and Form 8854 Explained
Handing back a green card ends immigration status, not necessarily U.S. tax status. How long-term resident status, the 8-of-15-year rule, Section 877A, covered expatriate status, and Form 8854 fit together — and why the sequence matters.
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Read article →Foreign Investors
Foreign Investors Buying U.S. Real Estate: U.S. Taxes, FIRPTA & LLC Structuring
What a non-U.S. person should understand before closing on U.S. property: how rental income is taxed, the Section 871(d) election, FIRPTA withholding on sale, individual versus entity ownership, and the estate tax exposure most buyers never hear about.
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Read article →Moving to the United States
Moving to the U.S. With a Foreign Company: Form 5471, CFC & GILTI Tax Planning
For entrepreneurs and executives relocating to the United States while still owning a business abroad, the company's tax profile changes on the day residency begins. What changes, what can still be adjusted beforehand, and why immigration timing belongs in the tax conversation.
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Read article →Foreign Asset Reporting
Foreign Rental Property: U.S. Tax, FBAR & Reporting Requirements
An apartment in Bogotá, a flat in Madrid, a house left behind after a move — U.S. citizens and residents report foreign rental income on their U.S. return. How the income, expenses, depreciation, currency, credits, and account reporting actually work.
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Read article →Articles are general and educational and are not individualized tax advice. Tax law changes frequently and content may not reflect the most recent guidance.