If you a U.S. citizen or resident who worked abroad and received income from a foreign source in 2015, you must file a US tax return and report your foreign income. Here are some details:
Report Worldwide Income. By law, U.S. citizens and residents must report their worldwide income. This includes income from foreign trusts and foreign bank and securities accounts.
Review the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. If you live and work abroad, you may be able to claim the foreign earned income exclusion. If you qualify, you won’t pay tax on up to $100,800 of your wages and other foreign earned income in 2015.
Don’t Overlook Credits and Deductions. You may be able to take a tax credit or a deduction for income taxes paid to a foreign country. These benefits can reduce your taxes if both countries tax the same income.
Additional Child Tax Credit. You cannot claim the additional child tax credit if you file Form 2555, Foreign Earned Income, or 2555-EZ, Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.
Tax Filing Extension is Available. If you live outside the U.S. and can’t file your tax return by the April 18 due date, you may qualify for an automatic two-month extension until June 15. This extension also applies to those serving in the U.S. military abroad. You will need to attach a statement to your tax return explaining why you qualify for the extension.
Get IRS Tax Help. Check the international services site (https://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-My-Local-Office-Internationally) for the types of help the IRS provides, including how to contact your local office internationally. All IRS tax tools and products are available at IRS.gov.
For more on this topic refer to Publication 54, Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad. You can get all IRS tax products on IRS.gov/forms.
Additional IRS Resources available at www.IRS.gov :
- Taxation of U.S. Resident Aliens
- Publication 514, Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals
- International Taxpayers
IRS YouTube Video:
- International Taxpayers - Foreign Earned Income Exclusion - English
From IRS
