Offshore Compliance | Information for Reporting Requirements

Highly Probably You Will Owe More Tax For 2018

With nearly 10 million U.S. taxpayers facing a penalty for underpayment of estimated tax last year, you should plan ahead, understand the options and avoid the huge penalty when filing 2018 Tax Return! And time is moving so quickly you may already be in the unfortunate penalty provisions.

Those of us who fall into the following categories are very susceptible to these penalties:

1. Self-employed 2. Receiving other income, such as a. Interest, b. Dividends, c. Self-employment, d. Capital gains, e. Prizes and awards or f. Too little tax withheld from wages. You probably need to either: 1. Immediately begin making Estimate Tax Payment, 2. Immediately make a Lump Sum Tax Payment for 2018 3. Increase your withholding on Earnings 4. Increase withholding on Royalties, Capital Gai

Avoid penalty for underpayment of taxes for 2018!

Is it possible at this late date? The new tax act of the Trump Administration, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, made significant changes for individuals, but the biggest were the loss of Itemized Deductions for high tax States, like California and New York, where Sales Tax, Real Estate Tax, State Income T

IRS Examination Coverage for 2016

The Internal Revenue Service has listed the percentage of tax returns filed and examined by the amount of Adjusted Gross Income, see below. The returns showing Adjusted Gross Income, AGI, for 2016 of $10,000,000 or more were the highest audit at 14.52%. The returns with AGI of $75,000 to under $100,

Combat-zone contract workers qualify for foreign earned income exclusion of $103,900!

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien of the U.S., specifically contractors or employees of contractors supporting the U.S. Armed Forces in designated combat zones, may now qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion of $103,900, which is an exclusion of monies earned from being taxed by the IRS each year. This is a big windfall for individuals working overseas, but not living overseas!!!

The background was first laid out in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which changed the tax home requirement for eligible taxpayers, enabling them to claim the foreign earned income exclusion even if their “abode” is in the United States. The new law applies for tax year 2018 and subsequent years. This means that you, if eligible, will be able to claim the foreign earned income

IRS Compliance

Today, September 4, 2018, t he Internal Revenue Service, IRS, provided a notice that Americans have until September 28, 2018, just over 3 weeks, to apply for the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). I know there are may Americans that have not come forward under one of the many alternatives

Basic of What to Do or Not Do If You Get a Letter from the IRS

If you receive a letter marked from the IRS or the U.S. Treasury, then you are one of millions of individuals who will received the mailing of letters from the U.S. Government and there are many and varied reasons why you may be one of these millions of individuals selected to receive a letter. The suggestions that I am listing below may seem to lack common sense, but I have seen just such happenings that occur when you experience unexpected IRS mailings mixed with the normal stresses of the day.

First, with the IRS envelope in hand, take a deep breath, find a few minutes where you will be able to focus and have a note pad and pen nearby for making notes.

This letter is a personal communication to the addressee. If this letter is not addressed to you, then don’t open it!

Do I need to file a special extension to get an automatic extension to file similar to the IRS form for individual Income Tax Returns…although automatic you still need to file?

The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that, to implement the new due date for FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), of April 15 (April 18 for 2017), it will automatically grant all taxpayers filing the form a six-month

IRS announces an end to the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, what does this mean for you?

The IRS has announced that its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) will end on 28 September 2018. US citizens are subject to US tax on worldwide income even if they are not resident in the US. A failure to comply may result in civil and criminal penalties being imposed. The OVDP enables

FBAR Deadline April 17, 2018

On the matter of filing the FBAR, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Management Services provides the exchange rates for you to use when converting foreign account balances for reporting on form 114. In too many instances, individuals us the internet for conversion rates or the IRS conversion rates, so be sure to go onto the Treasury’s website listed below.

Also, there has been an inclusion of other financial instruments to be reported on form 114, which is now labeled “Foreign Bank and Financial Account Reports” a change from the long-standing “Foreign Bank Account Report”. You may want to note that a reportable financial account now includes, but is not limited to, a securities, brokerage, savings, demand, checking, deposit, time deposit, or other account maintained with

Creation of the U.S. Passport Denial and Revocation

Under a law passed by Congress in 2015, the Department of State is required to deny an individual’s passport application and is authorized to revoke or limit an existing passport if the IRS has certified the individual as having a seriously delinquent federal tax debt (i.e., a federal tax debt exc

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