Expat Guide

IRS Penalty Assessment and form 5471 for American Expats

American expats living abroad face an overwhelming complexity of international tax forms. Although, many Americans heard about the foreign earned income exclusion and foreign housing exclusion, most of the time they are not aware of many complex forms. Foreign trust form 3520 and Form 5471 are the one of these...
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IRS Rules for Claiming Charitable Contributions by American Expats

Making charitable contributions is one of the ways to decrease US expat tax liability. American expats living abroad can make a charitable donation to a wide range of US and foreign charities. However, it is essential to follow several IRS rules to make sure that charity donations are tax deductible....
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Federal Student Financial Aid for American Expats Living Abroad

American expats living abroad have an opportunity to send their kids to various American or foreign schools in different parts of the world. It is a well-known fact that the USA has the most expensive education system among developed countries. Although, the tuition fees are low for many European schools,...
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529 College Savings Plans for American expats living Abroad

The average cost of college education has been constantly rising. Per the US Department of Education, the price to attend a public university has increased 42% between 2001 and 2011. The cost to attend a private institution has increased 31% for the same time period. US taxpayers are advised to...
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Social Security Spousal Benefits for American Expats with a Foreign Spouse

Americans living and working abroad are eligible to receive social security benefits. We wrote an article about Social Security Benefits for American expats. Although, US citizens can claim social security benefits, most of the time they are not sure whether a foreign spouse can obtain social security spousal benefits. This...
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