If you have a bank, brokerage, or retirement account outside the U.S., filing your FBAR or Form 8938 is only half the job. The other half is keeping the records that prove those forms were right.

You set up a one-person company in Hong Kong, the U.K., or Taiwan to run your consulting work or hold a property. Someone told you it is "disregarded" for U.S. tax purposes, so the income just flows onto your return. That part may be true. What is often missed is that a disregarded foreign entity comes with its own information return, Form 8858, and a $10,000 penalty for each year it is not filed.

You worked abroad, paid tax to a foreign country, and claimed the federal foreign tax credit. Your federal tax on that income dropped to zero. Then your state return arrived with a bill.

A net operating loss (NOL) lets you carry a loss year forward to lower a future tax bill. The basic rule is the same for every taxpayer, but if you have foreign income, the loss can interact with your return a little differently. Here's the simple version.

Every cross-border tax question eventually collapses into the same underlying issue: is this dollar of income U.S.-source or foreign-source? It sounds like a formality, but the answer drives some of the most consequential numbers on an international return — the foreign tax credit limitation under IRC §904, whether a nonresident alien owes U.S. tax at all under §871 or §882, which income falls into which FTC “basket,” and how a tax treaty's sourcing tie-breakers apply.

If you're a U.S. person receiving income from abroad, or a foreign person earning income connected to the U.S., withholding rules can catch you off guard. Getting the basics right now can prevent notices, penalties, and cash-flow surprises later.

A rental is a rental, right? Not when it's overseas. Foreign rental real estate is stuck on a slower depreciation schedule with no bonus depreciation, and recapture at sale brings in currency translation and FTC sourcing that most software won't catch. Here's the full domestic-vs-foreign comparison.

Foreign Stock Plans and RSUs If you work for a multinational employer and your compensation package includes Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) or participation in a foreign stock plan, you're sitting on more than an investment — you're sitting on a reporting obligation that most people don't discover until it's too late. Whether you're a U.S. person working abroad, a foreign national working in the U.S., or someone who's relocated mid-vesting-schedule, equity compensation adds a

New York City skyline representing shadow payroll and cross-border tax compliance for global employees If you have a client who's working across borders — a US employee on assignment in London, a UK national temporarily in a New York office, or an executive splitting time between two countries — chances are “shadow payroll” has come up in conversation. It sounds like something out of a spy movie, but it's actually one of the most common (and most misunderstood) tools in globa

Should you amend a tax return — or wait? In domestic filings, corrections are often straightforward. But when foreign income or international reporting is involved, the decision becomes more strategic. Missed foreign income, FBAR filings, and forms like 8938, 5471, or 3520 can carry penalties even if no tax is owed. This article explains when amending reduces risk, when waiting makes sense, and why international corrections require careful evaluation before taking action.

Living abroad can be an exciting chapter in your life, but don’t forget—Uncle Sam still expects a tax return. The U.S. is one of the few...