Blog Archives: IRS

The IRS plans to seize 362,000 US passports by refusing to renew passports of anyone with a substantial tax debt and now controls who is allowed to travel abroad. In this article, we’ll look at who is affected by this newfound authority and what you can do to protect yourself from the IRS. Giving the

The IRS will end the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program on September 28, 2018. If you haven’t come forward by that time, you’re out of luck. In fact, the IRS has already begun to ramp down the 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program and it’s becoming more difficult to get cases through. From the IRS website, “Taxpayers

The US IRS will begin certifying tax debts on January 22, 2018. If you have a “seriously delinquent” tax debt, your passport can be revoked. Likewise, the government can refuse to renew your passport if you owe more than $50,000. Here’s where you can travel without a passport after it’s been revoked by the IRS.

The IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program for 2017 offers taxpayers with undisclosed offshore accounts the ability to come forward voluntarily, file their returns, disclose their assets, pay the resulting taxes and penalties, and receive a clean slate. This article covers amendments to the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program through February 9, 2017. As of 2017, the

The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion for 2017 has finally been released and we expats get an increase of $800 this year. The U.S. government has increased the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion for 2017 to $102,100, up from $101,300 in 2016.   You can attribute this big time increase of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion for

Back in December I told you the IRS has the power to revoke your United States passport for past due debts. Now I’m telling you that the IRS has begun its attack on American expats… that the battle for your passport on… that the IRS has set the field and the first shots are about

According to the N.Y. Times, The IRS has begun tracking homes bought through offshore companies and shell corporations in the United States. If you’ve setup an offshore structure, and used your retained earnings to buy real estate in the United States, you’re probably a target of the IRS. Even if your offshore company is tax

If you’re moving the the United States, get ready for our crazy tax system. Most importantly, if you will become a US resident, be prepared for US tax on your worldwide income. You need to do your pre-immigration US tax planning before you arrive to minimize these taxes. Let me begin by defining what I

Moving to the US on with the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa comes with a very big hidden cost. You are by definition a US tax resident and required to pay US tax on your worldwide income AND report your foreign assets to the US government each year. Here’s how to reduce or eliminate that tax

This is an urgent warning for Americans living, working, investing, or doing business abroad. The IRS now has the authority to revoke your passport. If you have unfiled tax returns or you owe more than $50,000, the government can take away your US passport. Also, the Service can now refuse to issue a passport to

Much like the NSA, the IRS data collection machine is building a file on all Americans. It’s online now and will be ready to use in all audits within one year. The IRS collects more useful data on you than does the NSA and will begin making it available to auditors shortly. Some IRS data

If you’re an American living, working, or investing in Panama, the Panama tax system is your friend. The Panama tax code may allow you to live tax free in Panama and, possibly, in the United States. This Panama Tax Review will explain how to reduce your worldwide tax bill. Before getting in to specifics, it’s

If you have unreported offshore bank accounts or foreign assets, the IRS has one last best offer called the 2014 IRS Offshore Settlement Program.  Come forward and, if you are living offshore, pay no penalties.  If you are living in the U.S., pay only 5% for a fresh start. This, the third installment of the

If you have unreported offshore bank accounts, the IRS is coming for you … again.  U.S. expats are about to find themselves under even more IRS scrutiny because of the 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, a new attack on offshore bank accounts.  The IRS is starved for cash and they are coming after expats with

Are you considering forming a cheap offshore company?  Has some scammer in Nevis promised you tax freedom and privacy?  Forming a cheap offshore company that does not include U.S. tax compliance is a roadmap to disaster for the American living, working or investing abroad. How much would you be looking at in penalties for using

For those of you living and working abroad, or investing outside of the United States, the fact that you file one or more of the offshore company forms and report a foreign bank account on the FBAR will have little to no effect on your chances of an audit. The IRS is focused like a

Record numbers of Americans gave up US citizenship in 2013. As the IRS mafia becomes ever more hostile to its citizenry, Americans give up US citizenship in record numbers. In 2013, 3,000 Americans lined up at embassies around the world to renounce their citizenship and get Uncle Sam out of their pockets for good. This is

We get a lot of good questions from Expats around the globe during the April 15 and October 15 tax seasons. Here are a few from this go-round. Moving to a High Tax Country Q: “I’ve just moved to Australia in the last year.  I currently have very little assets in the US and am

Any offshore business owned and operated by a US citizen must file IRS Form 5471, an FBAR, and disclose all of its dealings to the US government. Here, you will learn how to legally reduce or eliminate these filing and disclosure obligations. Most importantly, you must file US Treasury Form TD F 90.22.1 (generally referred

Let’s say you have filed all of your delinquent returns, and the foreign-earned income exclusion, along with the other suggestions in this book, and did not eliminate your entire U.S. tax bill. Now the IRS is at your door…what should you do? Step One: Know your risks First, you must understand that the IRS can