American citizen living outside of US all off her life

[Ryan Dunleavy 0]

Hi guys asking for my little sister.

she has been living outside off the U.S since she was four but is moving back with her husband,she understands she has to move back before him and get a job and all that so she has all the correct documents for his interview. It’s just I have seen on this that she will have to have her tax up to date with the IRS but how can that be when she never worked in the U.S 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

US citizens are required to file tax returns and if necessary pay tax on worldwide income regardless of where they live. Any tax owing depends on double tax agreements, level of income etc.

Edited December 9, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Crazy Cat 39,151]

US citizens must report and file taxes (if legally required)  for income earned world-wide, not just what they earned inside the US.

[Ryan Dunleavy 0]

Thanks guys

how would she go about finding out if she owes tax.thanks again 

[JFH 12,189]

6 minutes ago, Ryan Dunleavy said:

Thanks guys

how would she go about finding out if she owes tax.thanks again 

She will have to file and see if she owes anything. It might be better for your sister to create her own account here and ask her own questions. Often when people post on behalf of friends and relatives, whilst the intentions are good, they often don’t know the full circumstances of an individual’s personal finances etc and it leads to confusion. 

[JFH 12,189]

You asked about the process for yourself and your wife. The process is the same for your sister and her husband. Since you were surprised that your sister has to file taxes whilst overseas, can I assume you are also delinquent in your IRS filings?

 

 

[Ryan Dunleavy 0]

Thanks JFH

I had thought I would have to pay tax as I had worked in the U.S before just as my sister was a child when she left didn’t see why she would have to.but I think your right I will get my sister to set up an account herself on this as I wouldn’t know my sister finances 

[carmel34 3,523]

US citizens are required to file tax returns with the IRS regardless of where they live and regardless of the country where the income was earned.  It sounds crazy, but that's the law, and one of the reasons that one of the founders of Facebook renounced his US citizenship and moved to Singapore, to avoid paying these taxes.  The USA taxes its citizens on their worldwide income.  You and your sister, if you want to return and live in the US, will have to file tax returns to the IRS for all previous years based on your world income whether you had taxes to pay or not.  Depending on your level of income in Ireland and the US-Ireland tax treaty (if there is one), you may also owe back taxes.  There is no way to avoid this if you want to live in the US.  My little brother, a dual US/Canadian citizen like me, decided to stay in Canada when he was considering moving to the US and found this out, as he has lived and worked there all of his life, and as a doctor, when he realized he would owe a huge chunk of money if he filed tax returns to the IRS for all those years, he decided to stay in Canada and hope that the IRS does not come after him which is unlikely since he has never lived in the US.  You may also want to find a good tax accountant in Ireland or the USA who specializes in these international tax issues for US citizens as it can be confusing and overwhelming if you aren't an accountant yourself.  

[pushbrk 12,086]

Paying taxes is not the same as filing a tax return.  A little over $100,000 a year in foreign income is exempt from US tax, but the US Citizen needs to file the tax return to take the exemption.  Unless she's making more than that, the issue "filing" not "taxes".

[Ben & Katy 168]

16 hours ago, pushbrk said:

Paying taxes is not the same as filing a tax return.  A little over $100,000 a year in foreign income is exempt from US tax, but the US Citizen needs to file the tax return to take the exemption.  Unless she's making more than that, the issue "filing" not "taxes".

I was about to say, i know alot of Mexicans in my spouses hometown that were born in Tucson,Phoenix etc and never were required to pay taxes on what they made in Mexico. 

[pushbrk 12,086]

6 hours ago, Ben & Katy said:

I was about to say, i know alot of Mexicans in my spouses hometown that were born in Tucson,Phoenix etc and never were required to pay taxes on what they made in Mexico. 

Again, "paying" is only required if you make more than what is exempt from tax.  FILING for at least the last three years is what is required to successfully act as the primary sponsor of an immigrant, whether you qualify or not.