We get this questions sometimes… why does the U.S. have a double taxation policy?! Double taxation is when you have to pay taxes twice on the same bucket of income. The U.S. and Eritrea are the only two countries in the world that enforce a citizen-based taxation system. This can result in the double taxation of U.S. citizens abroad since their host country also taxes them. 

So you are one of the courageous people to venture out and be self-employed, whether this came from necessity (it’s not easy to find a job in a different country!) or desire. Congrats! Being self-employed is no easy task – the co-founders at MyExpatTaxes can attest to that. Aside from ensuring you’re getting enough sales to cover costs and provide you with a good living, you also have way more complicated taxation laws.

A popular reason why U.S. citizens are living abroad is ‘’because of love.” An example can be meeting someone from another corner in the U.S., then deciding to move and live with them in their home country. Other times it’s meeting someone online, visiting them abroad and eventually marrying them. While falling in love may happen by chance, staying in love and living together is a fruitful choice. But when tax season hits, and you’re a U.S. expat married to a Non-U.S. Citizen Spouse – what do you need to do?

As a U.S. expat (assuming you are a citizen/green card holder), you are required to file an annual tax return to the IRS – reporting worldwide income. Don’t believe us? Look at the U.S. passport, Page 52, Section D. You might even be liable for filing the FBAR to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Getting tax compliant as a US expat is super important, but what happens if you don’t have a U.S. Social Security Number (SSN)? It can really be a chicken and egg scenario because you need to get tax compliant as a U.S. expat but you can’t file taxes without a proper SSN. So folks, just remember – it is an absolute necessity to get an SSN to file your taxes as a U.S. expat. If you don’t have a SSN as a U.S. expat, no worries – we outlined the whole process here in some easy steps. If you follow the steps correctly, it should be a rather smooth process!

We met an individual recently who wanted to know what specific taxes a US digital nomad needs to pay while living abroad. Digital nomads are individuals who typically fund their travels and livelihood through the help of a laptop and wifi (ie: Freelancing, YouTuber, Blogger, Online Shop Owner). Digital nomads live abroad, and if you ’re a U.S. digital nomad, you’re still tied to tax filing obligations for the IRS.

Actually it’s not! We’re serious – it’s really not that hard opening a foreign bank account as a US expat. It’s more that expats need to be aware of the additional reporting requirements… The Requirements FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) is a US federal law that requires all non-US financial institutions to report any financial records of U.S. Citizen customers to the U.S. Department of Treasury. If they don’t comply, doing business or having a partnership with the US will fall through.

“Do I need to file an FBAR?” you Googled. We say – well, let’s see what the IRS says!