Tax and IRS webpages to read for U.S. citizens living abroad, including the self-employed

DISCLAIMER: First off, this website offers no tax advice. Anything that appears to be advice you use at your own risk.

With that out of the way, the links:

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayers-living-abroad

https://www.americansabroad.org/us-taxes-abroad-for-dummies-update/

For citizens of some other countries if they leave home to live abroad their countries tax laws may allow them to forgo paying or even filing taxes for the time they are gone. On the other hand, if there is nothing else you learn from this post, at least know this: THE U.S. REQUIRES TAX FILING NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE.

I knew that well before uprooting and moving to China (and currently relocating to Taiwan).

But knowing that hasn’t necessarily made taxes any easier.

It’s part of the hardship of living abroad and evidence of the fallacy of the travel the world myth.

Thankfully, for us living abroad there is a foreign earned income exclusion, FEIE (the IRS likes acronyms), that may be helpful.

Now, if you are self-employed (either freelance or your own company) the FEIE also applies but figuring it out is part of that paperwork fun that makes all of the “be your own boss and love it” myth a true pain.

Here are links for the self-employed:

https://onlinetaxman.com/self-employed-abroad-7-things-expats-nomads-need-know-self-employment-tax-foreign-income/#:~:text=Generally%2C%20self%2Demployed%20individuals%20pay,(2020)%20from%20income%20tax.&text=The%20IRS%20considers%20you%20self,%2Dtime%20or%20part%2Dtime.

and a google search .

I am still learning new things, so I have nothing to tell you except to look at the links above.

Happy death and taxes !